DISCLAIMER:

live with physical challenges.
I am NOT a DOCTOR!!! I don't even play one on TV!!! It is my goal to live a more healthy lifestyle. Living well and being happy is what this blog is all about.

"Nothing,' wrote Tolstoy, 'can make our life, or the lives of other people, more
beautiful than perpetual kindness."

- Gretchen Rubin




I write about my own experiences and what works (or does not) for me. Nothing I write is to be taken as medical advice.

Only your health care provider, personal physician,Disclaimer:
I am not a doctor - I don't even play one on TV! This
or pharmacist can provide you with advice on what is safe and effective for your unique needs.








Sunday, April 7, 2013

No Housework Day

 
My mama used to say, "Cleanliness is next to godliness", and I've read the Bible through a few times and have never seen those exact words!  This phrase was first recorded in a sermon by John Wesley in 1778, but the notion is ancient, found in Babylonian and Hebrew religious tracts.  It is invoked, often as an admonition to wash or clean up!  It was mama's way of saying, "Get your act together" - yeah, no, that's not in the Bible either. 

Today is Sunday, which by all accounts makes this a lazy day to begin with, but we are celebrating NO HOUSEWORK DAY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!  In my world, every Sunday is no housework day, so this is literally a no-brainer.

But let's think about all the benefits that housework provides, shall we?

If I clean house for one hour I will burn about 157 calories!  The other obvious benefit of housework is that I will have the satisfaction of knowing I no longer live in a dirty filthy pit!

According to a recent study, conducted by a team of researchers at Indiana University-Purdue University, individuals who clean their homes on a regular basis and live in surroundings the researchers termed “tidy” are more likely to be fit and physically healthy than their peers who live in dirty or cluttered homes.

According to NiCole Keith, an associate professor of physical education at Indiana University, “At the end of the day, the interior condition of their house seemed to be the only thing affecting their physical activity. It was not at all what we expected.”

These findings left Keith wondering, "Are the types of people who take care of their bodies the same types of people who take care of their homes?"  It seems that individuals who are able to stick to an exercise regemen for an extended amount of time are motivated by certain personality traits like self-control and the ability to set future goals and stick to those goals regardless of what's going on around them or how they feel about it.

There's something to be said about cleaning whether you feel like it or not.  Letting emotional issues dictate whether you clean your house or not - well, that's a little bit like playing Russian roulette.  It's very hit and miss and very fickle.  It's better to just get in gear and get it done.  It's best if I just have a schedule and stick to it.  Whether it's housework or exercise, in the end, I feel better about everything - my house, my circumstances and my creative process.

To be honest, for me the psychological benefits of a neat, clean, tidy, organized living space far outweigh the physical ones.  I actually get a sort of "high" after I have really dug in and done a good cleaning.  When my home is clean, organized and tidy, I think more clearly.  When my surroundings are in order and make sense, my mind follows suit.

I especially like to clean during the Winter months or if it is inclimate in any way outdoors.  Boredom can absolutely take over my mind on days when the weather is less than cooperative.  If I begin cleaning my house and really get into it, there's a sense of purpose and a goal.  My house is not immaculate and I don't want to give that impression, but if it's neat and tidy I feel a sincere sense of accomplishment.

For me, cleaning house is a stress buster.  I know it sounds weird, but I like to clean when I'm alone and it's my time to let loose and have some fun.  My favorite music is funky disco (yes, I said funky).  The Bee Gees CD goes in the player, I put on my rainbow suspenders and I grab my rainbow feather duster and dance my way through the house.  Uh-huh...  there's a reason I don't want an audience! 

No, I do not have a disco ball - and I don't wear roller skates. 
Who asked that???

The quick motion of cleaning releases endorphins, a natural mood-enhancing hormone, into your bloodstream. 

I'm once again picturing Carrie Fisher in "Postcards From The Edge" calling endorphins, "endolphins".  I just love that movie! 

It is most difficult for me to buckle down and clean when the weather is gorgeous.  I don't want to be indoors dusting if I can be outdoors doing - well - anything else!  So, I have deemed Spring (the days when it isn't raining) and Summer the months I should not have company. 

I'm tempted to get one of those signs that says, "My house was clean yesterday, sorry you missed it!"

Well, mama was probably right - cleanliness is probably next to godliness.  But my housework will definitely wait until tomorrow.  There's always tomorrow!

Enjoy NO HOUSEWORK DAY!!!!!!!!!!!! 








1 comment:

Unknown said...



A No Housework Day

Today I'm gonna let
The dust become bunnies.
And I'm gonna give
The cleaning rags a break.
Today I'm gonna let
The vacuum in the closet.
And I'm gonna take
My mind to the lake.

The only kind of work
That I'm gonna be doing;
The only kind of fixing,
Or cleaning, or task
Is gonna be my heart,
My body, my spirit.
The things that usually
Get treated last.

Today I'm gonna let
The dishes in the sink.
And I'm gonna let
The laundry pile up.
Today I'm gonna leave
The bucket in the basement.
And I'm gonna keep
Coffee in my cup.

Today I'm gonna fix
The wrongs that I've made.
And I'm gonna empty
My cluttered up mind.
Today I'm gonna clean
My heart and my spirit
By spending my day with
Jesus divine.