Researchers from Singapore said in their new study that in older adults, doing housework was tied to a better memory and attention span, and stronger legs, which helps prevent falls. Shiou-Liang Wee, a researcher said, "Housework is a purposeful activity performed by many older adults and represents a significant share of their self-reported physical activity. "
For the study, Wee's team investigated nearly 500 healthy Singaporeans between 21 and 90 years of age. Among younger participants, 36% said they engaged in enough physical activity to meet the goal researchers set as beneficial, as did 48% of older participants. But 61% of younger and 66% of older participants met this target only through housework, the study revealed.
After taking other types of regular physical activity into consideration, the researchers found that housework was tied with sharper mental abilities and better physical capacity, but only among the older participants. Scores on tests of mental ability were as much as 8% higher among those who did lots of housework, compared with those who did little, Lee's team found.
And among older participants, balance and the time it took to stand up from sitting, which the investigators used as an indication of physical ability, were better for those who did lots of housework than for those who didn't.
Dr. Maria Carney, chief of geriatric (老年病的) medicine at Northwell Health, N. Y. , noted that exercise benefits your brain, and housework is exercise that also involves mental activity and requires detailed thought processes to complete. Physical activity increases blood circulation to your muscles and your brain, which helps mental function. Housework can be an important part of your exercise routine. Carney said, "It's a task you've got to plan for. You've got to use devices; you've got to use equipment. There's planning involved, so there's mental exercise along with physical exercise. "
