Just One More Minute To A Healthier You!
Keeping in shape doesn’t mean you have to spend two hours in the gym everyday.
by Andrea Metcalf
It seems in the busy lives of women everywhere, having just one minute to yourself is almost impossible to find. But taking just a few minutes a day can really improve your overall health. Here are a few ways to improve your health in just one minute, 10 minutes, and/or 30-minutes each day.
ONE MINUTES If you have just one minute each day, stop and breathe. Count your breaths for a total of 60 seconds. Each inhale and exhale counts as one breath. If you have six or fewer breaths in that minute, you’re doing a good job keeping stress at bay and probably exercise often. If you have seven to 11 breaths in that minute, maybe it’s time to start an exercise program and quit the third cup of coffee. If you have 12 or more breaths, stop what you’re doing and sit down for a few minutes. This can equate to a heart rate of over 100 bpm and you’re stressed out! Continue to breathe consciously until your breath totals are at 11 or lower. By practicing this simple exercise, in just one minute of conscious breathing, you can actually lower your heart rate and blood pressure.
TEN MINUTES My 10-minute rule is about incremental exercise. The fact that you need 150 minutes of moderate exercise weekly according to the American College of Medicine doesn’t have to mean four to five trips to the gym in a 45-minute HIIT or spin class. Ten minutes of incremental exercise throughout the week can go a long way. My favorite way to remember this is the 10-minute rule. Just before or after eating a meal, take a 10-minute walk. It adds up to 30 minutes in any given day and over the course of a week, can mean burning a few hundred calories without sweating or heading into the gym. Ten minutes of slow-paced walking can burn approximately 24 calories... pick up the pace to a brisk walk and you’ll almost double that number to 44 calories burned. But it isn’t just about calories! The time you spend walking helps you think clearer, because exercise increases the level of BDNF, brain-derived neurotrophic factor. BDNF is active in the hippocampus, cortex, and basal forebrain areas vital to learning, memory, and higher thinking.
THIRTY MINUTES There are so many meaningful things you can do for your health with 30 minutes, but I’m not just talking about exercise. Although a good strength training or yoga class for 30 minutes or more will surely improve your fitness level if done regularly, there are many other things you can do as well. Think of journaling or starting your biography. Writing in a journal by hand can help improve memory and act as a mediation. Call someone you love. Talking and engaging with people without a stressful deadline can be very therapeutic in lowering stress (unless you call your mom!—lol). Research shows that those who have strong personal relationships live longer. Reading a book can also prove beneficial— not only will you have more information to share and analyze, you’ll have a calmer mind.
Ultimately time is yours for the taking. Take your time and live your best life.
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Andrea Metcalf is a best-selling author, celebrity fitness expert and speaker. She teaches classes at Hang 5 Fitness located in Studios FUSE, 2215 North Halsted. She specializes in training women over 40 and has appeared on the NBC Today Show, Steve Harvey, Oprah.com, and more than 500 other television appearances. www.AndreaMetcalf.com www.Hang5Fitness.com