General Health Articles

Burning Calories While Spring Cleaning

Sure, you would be hard-pressed to find a woman or a man who says that they actually enjoy the thoughts of spring cleaning.  But, if you just take into consideration how many calories are burned while you are doing your spring cleaning, then you may be a little more excited when spring rolls around this year. 

The actual number of calories burned will depend on your weight, gender and age, but their calculators that you can find online (FitDay or NutriStrategy) that will help you to calculate your actual calories burned. 

So, dust off your mops, break out the cleaner and begin to sweat off the weight! 

Editor’s Note: The calories burned estimates listed here are based on one hour of cleaning for a 155-pound woman.

Gardening: 226 calories 

Window washing: 226 calories 

Scrubbing floors (on hands and knees): 291 calories 

Laundry, ironing: 84 calories 

Sewing repairs: 36 calories 

Dusting: 97 calories 

Scrubbing toilets, tub: 246 calories 

Vacuuming: 317 calories 

Cleaning gutters: 258 calories 

Moving furniture, household items: 387 calories 

Painting, papering, plastering: 317 calories

Sweeping: 194 calories

Mopping: 153 calories 

Healthy Living: Benefits of Massage Therapy

For more than 125 years, experts have been researching the benefits of massage therapy, and besides the obvious stress-free feeling that people have following a massage, there are plenty of other benefits to this ancient healing procedure.

One major benefit of massage therapy that researchers have found is that people who get massages on a regular basis have noticed a decrease in their blood pressure.  

Massages also help to alleviate the pain of those who suffer from migraine headaches. 

Massage can also: reduce your heart rate, increase blood circulation and lymph flow, relax your muscles, improve your range of motion, and increase endorphins. Some other physical benefits of massage therapy include relieving muscle tension and stiffness, alleviating discomfort during pregnancy, reducing muscle spasms, promoting deeper and easier breathing, enhancing the health and nourishment of your skin, and improving your posture. 

Massage therapy, while a physical act, is not all about physical benefits.  There are plenty of mental benefits that having a massage can give you. 

Some of these mental benefits include promoting mental alertness, relieving mental stress, reducing levels of anxiety, improving motor skills, creating   body awareness, and fostering a feeling of well-being. 

While this article only touches on a few benefits of massage therapy, both physical and mental, there are plenty more out there that researchers are learning about every day. 

So, go pamper yourself!

Healthy Living Joining a Gym- Things to Know Before Signing Up

When making the decision to join a gym, one may find themselves with more questions than answers. Fitness experts suggest the following pieces of advice that may help you when it comes time to choose the right gym for your needs:

• Location, location location. Location is one key aspect in deciding what gym may work best for you.  Chances are that if your gym isn’t close to your home or workplace, then it will become a hardship to you to try and get to the gym on a regular basis.  Plus, there is always the benefit of saving gas money if you choose a gym that is relatively close to your home or office.
• Research the gym. Find out important details about each gym that you are considering starting your membership with. How much does it cost? What services do they offer that are included in your membership fees? Are lockers an additional cost?  Is there a discount for seniors or students?  By asking the right questions you will find out everything you need to know about the gym before you hand over any money.
• Hours. Knowing the hours that the gym is open is a very important. If you would prefer to do your workout before work, then the gym you choose needs to be open prior to your work hours.  If you would like to work out after work, the gym needs to be open later at night.  Choosing the right time to go to the gym is important, as is whether the gym is extremely busy at that time.  If you are constantly waiting around to use equipment because the gym is overcrowded at certain times, you may want to choose a different gym that is more accommodating or has more equipment.
• Comfort in the gym. When you enter the gym, do you feel comfortable with the way it is set up, the cleanliness of the gym and the way the other members act towards one another? If you are going to be spending your hard-earned money, then you need to feel comfortable in the gym.  Cleanliness is also important and will let you know how the owners take care of the gym. 

In the News Innocent Ways you are Hurting your Heart

With February being Heart Health Month, we bring you this feature that highlights the innocent things that you may be doing daily that can be hurting your heart (among other parts of your body) and how to fix it!

How you cross your legs…  Sitting with your legs crossed at the knees increases your blood pressure.  According to studies, leg crossing increased systolic blood pressure nearly 7% and diastolic by 2%.  Studies say that you should avoid crossing your legs for long periods of time, like 10 to 15 minutes, and get up every half hour or so to walk around and get the circulation moving.

How you stand… If you are a person who frequently locks their knees when standing, you are no longer efficiently using the muscles that surround the joint.  Therefore, forces to the joint are increased.  Causing this additional stress to you knee joints isn’t helping your heart at all.

How you sleep… If you are a stomach sleeper, this puts your neck in a titled-back position, leading to pain or numbness in your upper extremities.  Nerves are also affected when people sleep on their stomach.  To avoid the pain, numbness and affect to the nervous system, people should avoid sleeping on their stomach.

How you wear your belt… It sounds strange, we know, but the tighter your belt the more pressure you put on your intra-abdominal area, which can result in acid reflux.  Acid reflux could include a bitter taste in your mouth, burning or pain the upper chest and stomach, a chronic cough or even difficulty swallowing.  Doctors say that your belt shouldn’t be any tighter than your waistband.  You should be able to inhale and exhale comfortably.

Healthy Living Resolve to “Be” Better in 2026

The easiest way to kill your New Year’s resolution sometimes is to make one at all.  So, why not make the switch in 2026 to not make a resolution, but choose a way to be a better person by making some inward and outward changes.

Some suggestions include:

Get more sleep.  Besides helping you to feel energized during the day and improve your mood, getting more sleep can also aid in losing weight.  Your body repairs and rejuvenates during sleep… even calcium is added to your bones while you sleep!  Getting adequate sleep is the best way for your mind and body to be the best it can be.  While optimum sleep time varies from person to person, the average is 4 to 11 hours each day.  While getting to bed earlier is easier said than done, you should also avoid food for at least 2 hours prior to bedtime and eliminate all sources of light in your bedroom while you sleep.

Eat a fruit or a vegetable while every meal.  Studies show that Americans eat fewer fruits and vegetables than other countries, and disease prevention is directly linked to consumption of fruits and vegetables.  It seems like a no-brainer to get healthier through eating more fruits and vegetables, but for some it may be best to start small.  For example, add a banana to your morning cereal or make sure to eat a salad prior to dinner.

Cook more at home.  While relying on fast food can be a fast fix, it will have far more consequences on your health than benefits.  Restaurant foods tend to be unhealthier and portion sizes way off than the norm.  Cook healthier meals at home and leave restaurant meals to date nights or social nights.

Don’t be so hard on yourself.  Resolve to change the way you think and talk about yourself this year. If you constantly put yourself down the more you will feel that way and act accordingly.  Turn things around with positive thoughts.