@norma69,
I'm a man. Strike one, right? Except I'm almost 65 and retired. Recently, I made the decision to stop walking and jogging to get exercise and to direct that energy to yard work and housekeeping. I've found I can burn the same number of calories either way and the benefits are about the same. The only exercise I need is about an hour of easy weight training. I read a book written in 1904 that in a one-liner said that housework is the best form of exercise. I've found that to be true except a person needs to lift heavy objects at times to flex their bones a tiny bit and promote bone health.
Your question is how to make it interesting. There is a book called "The New Housekeeping" which was written in the early 1900's. It relates to other books I won't bore you with. The way to make housework interesting is to constantly work to make it more efficient. Do not do this by working faster. In fact, if you limit your heart rate to 180 minus your age, you will get things done faster. I'll give you an example. It used to take me 28 minutes to empty a full dishwasher, dry the dishes and put them away, and then rinse (more like wash with my dishwasher) and fill the dishwasher again. Now it takes me 21 minutes. Everything I've worked on has had similar or even better results. I've reduced the time to do a thorough cleaning of the bathroom from 20 to 7 minutes.
Every time you do a task like dishes, vacuuming, start a workout. Record the time, number of steps, and calories burned. Your measure of success will be reducing all three. Just use a pencil and paper. Computers take too much time.
Make a list of ALL activities you do during the day. Cycle through the optional ones in a way that gets them done to your satisfaction. List them vertically and put a cycle horizontally. Use graph paper. Don't go back to the first one until you complete the cycle.
Limit yourself to burning a number of calories a day that doesn't leave you more than pleasantly tired. In time, you will be able to do the same number of activities while burning fewer calories. In a little more time, you will be able to increase the maximum calorie expenditure.
Weight loss is a function of your calorie deficit. I won't go into much more than that.
Program rest breaks. I usually limit myself to 40 minutes and then at least a 10-minute break. I've learned to nest activities so I can get several done in the same time. For instance, I start the rice, dry dishes while the water comes to a boil 4 minutes and 20 seconds later. Turn the temp down to medium low and set the timer for 44 minutes. I finish drying and then washing dishes and do another task. I can sweep and scrub the kitchen floor on my hands and knees or do some other task. You will get the idea when you start practicing.
Put things in the kitchen where you use them. For instance, I use whole wheat flour to make pancakes. I put it on a shelf right above my scale. The pots and pans I use most frequently are in the corner of the counter next to the stove mostly hidden by the coffee maker.
Involve your three-year-old in chores they can do. Things like folding towels, setting the silverware on the dinner table, sweeping the floor with a little broom, etc. Whatever they do, consider it perfect.
These were suggestions to stimulate thought. Your solution will look different than mine.
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