You’ve recommended 30 minutes of moderate-intensity exercise most days of the week. Do household chores or yard work count? —L.E., Negaunee, Mich.

It depends on the chore. Unless it’s an especially energetic task such as scrubbing a floor, indoor housework tends to provide only low-intensity exercise. But you could try to do some chores, such as vacuuming or sweeping, faster than usual. And many outdoor chores can provide moderate workouts, including carpentry, cleaning gutters, gardening, raking leaves, splitting firewood, and pushing a lawn mower. Those provide about the same workout as biking, swimming, and walking.