“It turns out my home is better than a gym membership!” our friend Paul shared as he pointed to the number of steps he had walked on a recent day in his home: 10.5 miles and 100 flights of stairs! 

Yes, Paul also happened to be in the frantic lead-up to selling their home. In order to stage it, he had to move almost everything in the house … fast. His story of “home as gym” points to the hard work involved in caring for our family’s communion by maintaining our household economy.

But Paul’s experience also reminds us of something we often miss—the compounding benefits of a well-run home. A Lancet study of 130,000 people across 17 countries found that household chores deliver the same heart and longevity benefits as going to the gym—30 minutes of activity five days a week cuts risk of death by 28 percent and heart disease by 20 percent. 

Wow, food for thought! It seems God has built so much good for us into caring for our beloved families and domestic churches. Maybe next time we are tempted to bemoan the amount of time we have to spend caring for our loved ones in basic ways, we can instead rev up our speed as we carry the laundry upstairs or mow that hill! 

Truth is, we often treat our homes as launch pads for activities in the world, but they are so much more. The Catechism says of the Christian home, “Here one learns endurance and the joy of work, fraternal love, generous—even repeated—forgiveness, and above all divine worship in prayer and offering of one’s life” (CCC, 1657). Our homes may feel like a gym at times … but for good reason! 

When we checked back in with Paul the other day, we heard the good news. Their home had sold within two days of going on the market! Yes, he was still putting ice packs on his knees and back, but the result had been worth the effort. 

For the rest of us—as we “walk the daily beat” of our household economy—we will continue to put our own miles on the board. But may we never lose sight of the reality that, with every step and flight of stairs, we journey heavenwards with our families, creating a vibrant, beautiful, and God-honoring home and household economy.