Housework counts as exercise

DEAR DR. DONOHUE: My wife and I are senior citizens. I am 89, and my wife is 86. Walking is becoming more difficult for us. Running or jogging is out of the question. When you write about exercise, you regularly speak about running and walking. As the population ages, the percentage of those over 65 grows, and they are all not able to run and walk.

I do water exercise twice a week. I like to rake leaves and do other things to get arm exercise. You never write about that kind of exercise. — T.H.

ANSWER: You are absolutely correct. Exercise at older ages has to be done with some caution and only with doctor approval. And “exercise” doesn’t mean marathon running or hours upon hours of bodybuilding. One criterion for exercise is raising the heart rate to a faster beat than it beats at rest and maintaining that faster beat for around 10 minutes at a stretch. If 10 minutes is too long, then do what you can and gradually try to increase the time.

Any activity that burns three to six times the calories burned from sitting quietly qualifies as exercise. At rest, people burn, on average, 1.2 calories a minute, around 70 calories an hour. Household chores fit that definition of exercise.

General housecleaning burns 4.8 calories a minute; mopping, 4.2; cooking, 3.2; grocery shopping, 4; scrubbing floors, 7.3; vacuuming, 3.2; mowing the lawn, 8.1; raking leaves, 4.5. All of these burn more than three times the resting calorie burn. Every activity should last for 10 minutes, and the total daily exercise activity should be 30 minutes. You can break the exercise sessions into three 10-minute periods.

Even when watching TV, you can get some exercise by walking or slowly jogging in place. The idea is to get the body moving. Water exercise is wonderful. The temperature of pool water is around 84 F, and the water’s warmth relaxes muscles and keeps joints limber. Water buoyancy reduces stress on joints. Your program is fine, T.H.

DEAR DR. DONOHUE: Is creatine safe for building muscles? My 19-year-old son is a football player in college. Some of his teammates take creatine to develop muscle mass at a faster rate. A trainer implied that it is safe, but you have to watch your hydration. Please give me your opinion. — J.L.

ANSWER: At least 40 percent of college athletes take creatine. It’s composed of amino acids, the same material that makes proteins. Most body creatine is found in muscles. It’s made by the liver and pancreas.

Advocates say it increases the special kind of energy needed for short bursts of maximum exertion. That kind of energy makes lifting weights possible. It delays muscle fatigue.

Studies proving that it actually builds muscles are equivocal.

It is safe. It shouldn’t be used by anyone with kidney problems. Users ought to make a concerted effort not to become dehydrated when they are taking it. Side effects are few and minor for most. On the plus side, it’s not an anabolic steroid, the male hormone favored by many athletes.

DEAR DR. DONOHUE: I have read your advice about taking a day of rest between weight-training exercises. I prefer doing one set of weightlifting exercise every day. Is that OK? It takes less time and doesn’t seem as difficult. — C.A.

ANSWER: Taking a full 24 hours of rest between weightlifting exercises for the same muscles applies to those lifting heavy weights for three or more sets. Such exhausting exercise breaks down muscles, and a day of rest permits muscles to repair and grow.

Lifting only one set of an exercise every day doesn’t cause such muscle damage. You can do that on a daily basis.

Dr. Donohue regrets that he is unable to answer individual letters, but he will incorporate them in his column whenever possible. Readers may write him or request an order form of available health newsletters at P.O. Box 536475, Orlando, FL 32853-6475. Readers may also order health newsletters from www.rbmamall.com.

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