Soon after you retire, your children begin to give you advice. And if you live in a two story house, they’re apt to say you ought to move. At that point, unless you’ve worked past the age of 70, you’re feeling pretty spry. The very idea of trading in your double decker home for a one level seems ridiculous. But as the years go by, and your knees begin to give out, you see their point. And yet, the longer you’ve lived in the house you love, the more difficult it is to move. The very idea of all that upheaval stresses you out. Finally, you have to make a decision. Should you downsize, or install a stairlift?

My husband and I have always had arthritic knees—his much worse than mine. But somehow, we managed. After all, we knew there were benefits to a house with stairs. More exercise, stronger leg muscles, and maybe even a longer life.

And then, around five years ago, after a very bad rainy season, our defenses weakened and we called a stairlift salesman. We liked the company rep who called on us. He measured, evaluated our situation, and gave us an estimate. We were sold—even gave him a deposit which he said was refundable if we changed our minds right away.

Then, the weather got better. Our joints didn’t hurt so much. We worried that our house would look cluttered and depressing with all this handicapped paraphernalia. My husband got some shots in his knees, and decided he really could handle the stairs just fine. We got our deposit back.

Should you install a stairlift? Yes, if it helps you stay in your own home. — Should you install a stairlift? The cost is far less than the expense of moving.

Fast forward five years later to the present time. My husband suffered a major fall. Lucky his bones are strong. Nothing was broken, but he had a knot on his head and bruises all over his body. Time to face reality. Before even telling our kids about the fall, we’d already called the stairlift company. Believe it or not, they still had the original estimate on file. Even though prices had increased, they honored the quote they had given us. The cost of the product was far less than the expense of moving to another place.

The stairlift is in, and it looks fine. We didn’t have to take down any pictures or lock up a closet door. The house looks pretty much the same, and he feels better, gliding smoothly up and down the stairs with no pain in his knees.. Should you invest in a stairlift? If it helps you stay in your own home awhile longer, I would say yes.

Once you reach retirement age, well meaning family and friends urge you to make some important life changes: They say you should move to a one story house and hire a cleaning lady. A few years later, you’re advised to prepare for the inevitable realities of aging, and move to a retirement community where you will be relieved of most household chores. You’re assured that a workout room is usually available if you’re concerned about your health and want some exercise. But which is best? Housework or workouts?

How many healthy seniors do you know who have followed the conventional wisdom of forfeiting their privacy and independence? Even though they are in good health , half of my contemporaries have moved on. Those who’ve moved to smaller homes or apartments may hire cleaning women while they go to Planet Fitness. Those who live in retirement communities have few household chores. They can spend the winter months playing bridge, reading books, and other sedentary activities. When spring arrives, and they find their clothes are too snug , they resolve to work out on the treadmill or do some stair steps.

Seniors are often advise to move to retirement communities where they do no housework. But is that healthy?

HOUSEWORK TRUMPS WORKOUTS FOR DOUBLE BENEFITS

Did you know that vacuuming floors burns 170 calories per hour? The good news about housework is the satisfaction you get from not only getting exercise, but the feeling that you’ve done something productive. I know, it’s not very classy to admit you spent the morning cleaning the bathroom. But scrubbing down a bathroom for 35 minutes burns more calories than 35 minutes on a treadmill.

So, you don’t have to tell anyone your dirty little secret to avoid gaining weight You can pretend you spent the morning doing pilates before having lunch at the Panda Garden. No one needs to know you cleaned your bathroom , but you!

One more reason to stay in a two story house : stair climbing burns calories at a faster rate than many other forms of exercise, It builds muscles, strengthens bones and leads to greater cardiovascular health.

For a complete list of calories burned doing various household chores, follow this link: http://calorielab.com/

Tag: independence

SHOULD YOU INSTALL A STAIRLIFT?

WHICH IS BEST? HOUSEWORK OR WORKOUTS?

So, you don’t have to tell anyone your dirty little secret to avoid gaining weight You can pretend you spent the morning doing pilates before having lunch at the Panda Garden. No one needs to know you cleaned your bathroom , but you!