Milford chronicle., 1961-01-27
Home Calorie Spending
BY ALTON BLAkESLEE
AP Science Writer

Housewives are among the nat
ions biggest spenders-of cal
ories.
Her daily tasks can cost her
to caiories per minute.
Meanwhile her desk-job hus'
band is spending Is TO 2. the
steel worker 3 TO 4.
All this can have great bearing
on woman's calorie savings
bank. and her figure.
For calories are like money
Put too much in the bank
and the account swells. Spend
more-even little more every
day-and the savings dwindle.
Just how much total energy or
calories housewives spend varies
far more than that of factory
workers performing the same
job in the ac tory, says DIR. Her
man X. Hellerstein of Western
Reserve University Medical School
Cleveland
Add II Up
Much depends on the size OF
her house, how many children she
labor-saving appliances she enlists.
DIR. Hellerstein, an authority in
measuring the energy costs OF var
ious jobs. cites these housekeep-
ing spendinb figures:
Stripping and changing bed lin
ens-5.5 calories per minute. Sim
ply tidying ds--about 4. Clean
ing windows-3.5 TO A. scrubbing
floors on hands and knees.
Putting washing through a man
gle-up TO Z. Carrying out d
hanging up wash-4.5 to S. and
: more II the wash Is carried up
steps. Washing lingerie by hand
3. Ironing-4.2 per minute.
Automatic machines cut the cost
sharply.
Gardening-up TO 5 or s. par
ticularly with digging and spading.
Sitting and sewing-f.5 to 2.
Walking up and down stairs
4 TO 6. with 1 or 2 more added in
carrying a 20 to 80 pound child.
Walking to and from the shopp-
ing area cost 2.5 to 4, at walk
ing speed of 2 to 3 miles per
hour. Lugging Is 10 20 pounds of
groceries adds another calorie per
minute.
Dressing and undressing costs
rs calories per minute, showering
about az. and vigorous showering.
with more bending and movement.
sends II up to 5 or 6.
Energy Costs
AT the Work Classification
Clinic of the Cleveland Area
Heart Society, this awareness of
the high energy cost Of house
wifery has influenced the vocat-
ional counselling OF the woman
with heart trouble" DIR. Heller
stein says.
at times II has been easier for
the cardiac woman to obtain a
secresarial Job to obtain sufficient
funds to pay for someone else TO
fulfin The household chores"
Many husbands convalescing.
from a heart attack have recognize
ed the high energy cost OF house
work, particularly when they per-
form some OF the household
chores Nntlt bifftf WistH AIt tI~
joying the less energy consuming
duties of clerk or secretary. Small
wonder the husbands are happy
TO return to work. for this land
other) reasonsi"
Lazy Lifel
The picture. OF hard work of
housewivery does not apply to
all housewives" Dre Hellerstein
stresses.
THE childless housewife who
dwells In a small apartment with
elevator, who does not do her own
house cleaning, laundry or shop
ping. may expend' her maximum
energy walking 10 and from the
refrigerator. telephone or tele-
vision set, where she so often
will accumulate rather than dis
sipafe caiories-of course TO her
own detriment."
Much, needs to be done to sim
plify' and take the drudgery out
OF housework, he adds, so house
wives then can have more leisure
time to spend as many or more
ealories In recreation.