This story ran on nwitimes.com on Friday, March 12, 2004 10:28 AM CSTSalesman mopping up with workout videoBY SHARON PORTA Times Correspondent WHITING -- People don't need to join a gym or buy expensive exercise equipment to stay fit, according to Steve Markovich. Instead, Markovich advocates a new fitness regime he calls aerobic housecleaning. It was back in 1973 that Markovich started training in boxing and kickboxing at the professional level. Four hours a day, six days a week, he would work on conditioning. But after the birth of his first daughter eight years ago, Markovich realized he didn't want to spend that much time at the gym. He then developed a program that combines exercise with picking up after a couple of messy kids. "When the kids came, I knew I wanted to spend all my time with them," the former Hammond resident said. "So I just took all the conditioning and training I did and put it into housecleaning." Markovich, 49, now of Crescent City, Ky., maintains his physique through housecleaning about six days a week. He demonstrated his workout routine at the home of his mother, Helen Markovich, in the city's Robertsdale section. "I do something every day," he said. "I'm a clean freak and I like doing the work. When my wife cleans the things that I usually do, I almost feel like she is taking my exercise away from me." To scrub the floor, Markovich dons kneepads and moves his body from side to side, working the obliques. He'll then go in each room to do 25 push-ups. "Some of my neighbors watched and fell on the floor laughing," Markovich said. "But when they realized the outstanding physical condition I always maintained, regardless of how much I ate, they teased me to make a video. I wanted to use glitzy, Hollywood-type models in the video, but professional videographers insisted it would be better if viewers could see the real me." After ABC News picked up the story a few months ago, video sales have taken off for the salesman who works out of his home. "I was driving home and all of a sudden I heard Paul Harvey talking about me on the radio," Markovich said. "Soon requests for my video were coming in from all different parts of the country." The 1972 ClarkHigh School graduate feels his big break will come next week when he appears on the DIY Channel. He is scheduled to appear with Linda Cobb, the "Queen of Clean," at 3 p.m. Monday. He has filmed four shows, but is unsure when the others are to air. "She told me that I'm ready to really make it big," Markovich said.
[EXTRAS] On the Web For more information on Steve Markovich's aerobic housecleaning, go to www.aerobichousecleaning.com.