Achieving a healthy lifestyle is not a sprint. Being healthy and maintaining health depends on the everyday activities you do. New research reveals that even small breaks from being on your backside can help, especially if you have diabetes. Here are five ways to feel younger and healthier – in just five minutes a day!
Turn off the TV
“Humans weren’t meant to sit for long periods,” says Dr. Keith Roach. Do you tend to get home from work and just sit in front of the TV? In a study of 82,000 men, researchers found that sitting more than five hours a day, outside of time on the job, increased the risk of heart failure. But standing at length isn’t good either, since it’s bad for your feet and knees. The ideal? Alternating between sitting and standing throughout the day. Desk job? Try a standing desk to break up your chair-bound day.
Run – and it doesn’t have to be too fast
“If you can’t fly then run, if you can’t run then walk, if you can’t walk then crawl, but whatever you do you have to keep moving forward.”
― Martin Luther King Jr.
Researchers at Iowa State University assessed the health and physical activity of approximately 55,000 adults between the ages of 18 to 100, then followed up with them for about 15 years. Those who ran on a weekly basis reduced their mortality risk by 45% from heart disease or stroke when compared to those who didn’t run at all. Researchers also found that those who ran for just five to 10 minutes a day at a slower pace had the same mortality benefits as those who ran three hours or more per week.
RELATED: The best times of day to maximize your fitness
Make a date
Making a social connection means great health benefits. But it takes more than chitchatting about Game of Thrones. What’s important is having someone you can talk to about big, important things. Confiding in someone else and letting them confide in you will boost your health.
RELATED: How the “Rule of Three” can make you a better conversationalist
Snack with a salad
A study from the John Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health followed approximately 6,100 people ages 30 to 93 who donated a blood sample in 1974 and 1989, when they also completed a food questionnaire. The participants were tracked until they died or until 2002, when the study ended. Overall, the researchers found that those who ate the most fruits and vegetables, when compared to those who ate the least, had lower risk of mortality from all causes of death, including cancer and cardiovascular disease.
Take a break
Just five minutes of relaxing, mindfulness and breathing techniques can reduce stress — and this break may even help with your work. “Relaxing for five minutes can help your mind focus. It also helps you get centered, decreases those stress levels and stress hormones and does a lot of good things for your body.
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