I don't always feel like exercising when I'm down in the dumps. But I know it's good for me and whenever I force myself into physical activity, I always cheer up. I usually turn to running when I want to banish my blues. But according to a study published in the British Journal of Sports Medicine, mopping my floor may be enough to boost my mood.

As little as 20 minutes a week of any sort of physical activity can help alleviate psychological distress, say researchers from University College London. While vigorous activity has the most effect, you can still enjoy an emotional lift with minimal effort. Clean the house, work in the garden, or walk around the block, and you could enjoy a 41% lower risk of feeling blah.

Personally, I subscribe to a pretty active fitness routine for overall health and happiness, but it's good to know I can bust out of my bad mood with a little light housecleaning.

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I just returned home from a friend's house. Since everyone seems to know that I'm the Fitzness chick, conversations always lead into that arena. Not that I bring it up, but I think people are desperate for answers and take wise advantage of the expert in the room. Today's question was from a woman who "exercises" all the time doing housework, but still can't manage to lose the forty pounds she's gained since her last pregnancy.

Although the solution was painfully obvious to me, I'm completely positive this poor woman thought she was on the right track. Folks, housework is not exercise. Sure, it's active and it's certainly better than loafing on the couch, but it is not exercise. Exercise is deliberate. Usually involving some sort of sneaker or exercise attire. Same goes for yard work and chasing around the kids. Not exercise. Especially for the people trying to lose a significant amount of weight. In order to do that, you should be consistently moving at a moderate to rapid pace, huffing and puffing, stinking and sweating for an extended period of time. Household activities will not get your heart rate high enough for 30-40 minutes. No way. Plus, lifting the wet mop is never going to provide for curvy and strong muscles.

So. I broke her heart just a little bit, but I also gave her hope. It's not impossible for her to lose that weight, she just has to change the way she goes about trying to accomplish it.