HealthyLife Articles

Tag: household

  • Do Your Chores

    Fitness

    Image of father and daugher cleaning.

    Burn calories while you clean.

    Who needs a gym when you can burn calories by doing household chores. The faster you move and the more you bend, stretch, and reach, the more your body will benefit. For example, a 150-lb person burns about 130 calories during a 30-minute 3.5 mph walk around the block or about 150 calories by washing the car. Not bad, especially for people who seem to think they have no time to exercise. Are you ready to get out the cleaning supplies?

    Bend and dust and turn and wipe and . . .

    Everything from washing windows to grocery shopping burns calories. The following numbers apply to a 150-lb person doing 30 minutes of activity. If you weigh less, you’ll burn slightly fewer calories. If you weigh more, you will burn slightly more calories. And the more muscle you put into it, the more calories you’ll burn.

    *  Climbing stairs – 306

    *  Rearranging furniture – 225

    *  Shoveling snow – 214

    *  Doing laundry – 210

    *  Walking the dog – 147

    *  Raking leaves – 144

    *  Mopping the floor – 140

    *  Vacuuming – 119

    *  Weeding – 115

    *  Washing dishes – 75

    *  Ironing – 70

    *  Surfing the Internet – 60

    Other calorie – burning tips

    *  Take the stairs instead of the elevator – 306

    *  Park the car farther from your destination and walk – 227

    *  Carry your grocery bags to the car – 190

    Action Step

    If you want to burn even more calories, move as much as you can throughout the day. Stand up and do side steps while you are on the phone. Squat while you are waiting for the washing machine to finish its spin cycle.

    Page image from Ways to Well-Being book by the American Institute for Preventive Medicine. www.HealthyLife.com. All rights reserved.

    © American Institute for Preventive Medicine

  • A Burning Issue: How To Handle Household Burns

    SELF-CARE CORNER

    Image of a mother helping daughter with a burn on the arm.

    Accidental burns can happen just about anywhere in your home, and they’re not always caused by fire. Hot objects or liquids, friction, the sun, electricity, or certain chemicals can also cause burns.

    Each year, about a half-million people nationwide seek medical attention for burns. Household burns lead to nearly 7 of 10 admissions to burn centers. The good news is that the number of deaths from severe burns has dropped by more than half over the past 4 decades, in large part because of treatments developed through NIH-funded research.

    Burns result in skin or tissue damage. The severity of a burn depends on the area it covers and how deep the damage goes. First-degree burns affect only the thin top layer of skin. Second-degree burns include the thick lower layer of skin. A third-degree burn is the most serious; it penetrates the entire thickness of the skin, permanently destroying it and the tissue that’s underneath.

    You can care for most minor burns at home. If the burn is red and painful with mild swelling or little blistering, then it’s a first-degree or minor second-degree burn.

    See a doctor if the burn is dark red and looks glossy with a lot of blistering. These are signs of a deep second-degree burn. Get immediate treatment if the burned skin is dry and leathery, perhaps with white, brown, or black patches. These are signs of a third-degree burn.

    Burns can become infected with bacteria or other germs if protective layers of skin are lost. Burns can also lead to painful inflammation, as your immune system shifts into gear.

    First aid for burns

    For minor burns:

    *  Immerse in fresh, cool water or apply cool compresses for 10 to 15 minutes.

    *  Dry the area with a clean cloth. Cover with sterile gauze or a non-adhesive bandage.

    *  Don’t apply ointments or butter; these may cause infection.

    *  Don’t break blisters.

    *  Over-the-counter pain medications may help reduce inflammation and pain.

    Call emergency services (911) if:

    *  Burns cover a large area of the body

    *  Burns affect the entire thickness of skin

    *  The victim is an infant or elderly

    *  The burn was caused by electricity, which can lead to “invisible” burns

    © American Institute for Preventive Medicine