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Exercise is often among the first activities to fall by the wayside when juggling a busy lifestyle. It’s easy to get burnt out finding time to fit in physical activity, or find the motivation to get up and moving. However, when the rejuvenating sunlight of spring starts to shine through and vibrant colors appear outside, we suddenly feel the need to clean up, reorganize, and reset our lives!
While Spring Cleaning is an annual reminder to tackle our chores, from mowing the lawn to cleaning out the pantry, it’s also a sneaky opportunity to get some exercise and return to an active lifestyle.
Next time the sun peeks out, start your chores and exercise outside by handwashing your car. It may be easier to take your car to a drive-through, but by bending, stretching, twisting, and scrubbing by hand, you’ll be getting a workout and feel much more accomplished with the end result. It doesn’t need to be laborious either – enlist the help of friends and family, or play some music, and discover how relaxing it can be.
Vacuuming, mopping, and wiping down surfaces can be tiring tasks on their own, but each can be transformed into an even more significant workout with just a few alterations. Try a full single-leg lunge each time you move the mop or vacuum forward, and engage your core while bringing your legs back together. Standing on your tip-toes or balancing on one leg while wiping counters or windows will also challenge your core while helping to strengthen your knee and ankle joints. Reaching up to wipe higher surfaces will stretch your legs while working out your arms at the same time.
Cleaning is also a great way to get your daily steps in! Walking is deceptively good exercise, helping you to shed weight, stay in shape, and avoid joint problems. 10,000 steps a day is a healthy goal to aim for, but isn’t always as simple as it sounds. Many people spend a substantial portion of their day planted in front of computer screens at work or television screens at home, so spring cleaning is a great opportunity to boost your step count by pacing around the house or striding through the garden while performing chores.
Whether you’re boxing and moving old items, doing laundry, or weeding your garden, spring cleaning can also put an unnecessary strain on your back if performed mindlessly. At some point or another, you’ll probably find yourself hunched over, and then standing back up straight. Instead of bending over with legs straight, and lifting yourself upright by tightening your back, focus on lifting objects by bending your knees and squatting down. This utilizes core strength and leg muscles rather than sacrificing your back.
Curious about other health, exercise, and pain management tips? Contact the top orthopedic doctors in Seattle at ProOrtho today.
