Doing housework good for you say boffins and one Brit star does ‘bottle bicep curls’

Giving floors a scrub or pushing a hoover for just half an hour a couple of times a week can help lower blood pressure as long as you work at ‘moderate intensity’

Doing housework is good for you – as long as you work up a little sweat Giving floors a scrub or pushing a hoover for just half an hour a couple of times a week can help lower blood pressure, boffs found.

The trick is making sure you work at ‘moderate intensity’ which means a rate where you can still talk but you get warm or feel your breath speed up.

Dr Nish Manek told BBC Science Focus that “aiming for 30 minutes” can “significantly help”. She added: “This includes activities where you can still talk but feel your breathing quicken, such as brisk walking, cycling or even active housework.

High blood pressure is a major health concern for millions in the UK, increasing the risk of heart disease, stroke and kidney problems. Loose Women star Stacey Solomon previously said her busy lifestyle “running around after the kids all day” and “hoovering the house,” helps her stay fit.

Actor Colin Firth also said he does ‘bottle bicep curls’ during cleaning to simulate gym exercises. Celebrity personal trainer Cornel Chin, whose clients include Leonardo DiCaprio says housework plays a vital part in boosting the activity levels of many people.

He previously said: “I teach a lot of my clients how to incorporate exercise into their daily chores.

“It’s a very good way to add stretching and strengthening exercises to their fitness programme. Because it doesn’t really raise the heart rate, it doesn’t constitute a good aerobic workout, and you still need to walk, swim, cycle or jog every week. But housework has its benefits.”

Vacuuming and mopping are the best chores to get fit, and adding in squats or lunges make them even more effective. In general, isometric exercises have been shown to lower blood pressure the most.

These involve holding a static position, for example squatting against a wall instead of moving constantly.