“Obviously, you don’t move house every week but, more often than not, you clean your home once or twice a week. About 60 minutes of cleaning would be roughly equivalent to a 20-minute low-impact workout.” Activities like scrubbing, vacuuming and lifting all require energy from the body, just like bodyweight workouts do, she says, so there are absolutely physical benefits to be had by keeping on top of the cleaning.

That’s not to say, however, that it’s always a good idea to treat housework as a workout – particularly if you’re working towards a fitness goal. The reason for this is that there’s much less structure to a cleaning sesh (unlike a workout, where exercises, load, etc will all be cherry-picked to help you achieve your goals).

Housework, Dabbs says, can help you reach many more dynamic positions compared to, say, running or walking. “You will build strength from heavy carrying and gain mobility from stretching to clean surfaces up high or down low. Being on your hands and knees may also improve your core strength.”

Can cleaning the house count as daily exercise? We asked the experts