It is now a known and proven fact that the obesity epidemic that we have been witnessing in recent years is largely linked to the decrease in physical activity worldwide, among other things. Researchers have recently also made a link between housework and the rise of obesity among women.
Less Housework Means More Weight Gain
It is now a known and proven fact that the obesity epidemic that we have been witnessing in recent years is largely linked to the decrease in physical activity worldwide, among other things. Researchers have recently also made a link between housework and the rise of obesity among women.
The study collected historical data to compare the amount of housework that women did in 1965 with the amount of housework done in 2010. The researchers found that this amount has dramatically decreased during these years. Women in 1965 spent an average of 26 hours per week cleaning, cooking, doing laundry, and doing other household chores. In 2010, that number dropped by half to a shocking 13 hours per week. This difference equates to about 360 fewer calories burned every day, which means 2,520 calories per week.
This drop could be attributed to the fact that almost all women now have jobs and careers. However, between the years 1965 and 2010, the amount of time that non-working women spent doing housework has also dropped by an average of 17 hours per week. Working women have reduced that time by an average of 7 hours weekly.
At the same time, the researchers found, women spent on average 8 hours per week watching television in 1965, while in 2010 that number also doubled to 16 hours per week watching television and using the computer.
In the last fifty years, several events and advancements have contributed to making women’s lifestyles less active. Few were the women who had jobs or even thought about having careers; their main role was housework which required a lot of physical effort. Most employees now have desk jobs which require sitting down for 8 hours a day and very little physical activity. Even in the household, the availability of unproductive pastimes such as television, computers, smartphones, and the internet, is contributing to our sedentary lifestyles.
This has resulted in the decline in energy spent in the household from 6,000 calories burned per week in 1965 to 3,500 calories burned per week in 2010.
The best way to successfully lose weight and reverse the obesity epidemic is to turn off the TV, put away the phone, and give exercise the time it deserves.
