It’s not often we get to report on a “twofer”.  That is doing something that generates double the benefits back to doer.

So gentlemen, this is for you, and in turn, it’s for the ladies too.

Early in married life, the hassles over the division of labor in doing housework often prove problematic as expectations clash with, past practices and sex role stereotyping. (Translation-housework is women’s work but the modern woman wants help and equality.)

Now here’s the deal.  We all know we need to get a certain amount of exercise to be healthy, right?  Well, housework counts as exercise.

The Sun reports that when researchers tracked over 130,000 people in 17 countries they found those who did any kind of exercise (including housework) for 150 minutes a week cut their risk of early death by 31 percent.

For example, thirty minutes of washing windows burns 125 calories; making beds for a half hour burns 120; and vacuuming for a half hour will burn 100 calories.

But wait there’s more - getting in those 150 minutes of activity per week will also cut your risk of heart attack, reduce the your risk of type 2 diabetes, and lower your risk for many cancers.

So there is benefit number one.

According to a report featured in the DailyMail, help with housework means a better marriage.

“Doing things together and having mutual, agreed-upon divisions of labor benefitted both spouses.

The more wives perceived that husbands were engaged in routine family work tasks, the better the relationships were for both partners.

Wives in our study viewed father involvement and participation in household chores as related.

'Doing household chores and being engaged with the children seem to be important ways for husbands to connect with their wives, and that connection is related to better couple relationships.”

So benefit number two is a much happier spouse.  Happy wife, happy life, right?

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