Women's Health

Does Less Housework by Women Lead to More Obesity?

Calories In, Calories Out continued...

Archer says the physical activity guidelines for health recommend 30 minutes per day, which is enough to lessen the risk of heart disease and stroke. However, this is not going to have much of an effect on weight and body fat. For that, the Institute of Medicine recommends at least an hour per day of moderate activity for weight maintenance, and at least 90 minutes to two hours of daily moderate exercise to lose weight.

Archer says that while patients complain they are not going to have enough time for that, he says the television is the biggest source of wasted time.

"The number one recommendation is to turn off the television and replace that time with walking and lifting weights," he says.

To see a version of this story for physicians, visit Medscape, the leading site for physicians and health care professionals.