Do Think exercise is too hard to fit into your busy schedule? Think again. When life gets busy, our self-care routine is the first to go, but it comes at a high cost to our health and sanity. In this episode, Jen reveals that even 10 minutes of exercise a day can make a big difference to your health and wellbeing and shares simple ways you can fit moving your body into your everyday routine.
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SHOWNOTES
86% of people surveyed said they would exercise every day, yet only 22% did. 71.5 % of those responders cited time as the factor deciding the amount of exercise achieved or if they exercised at all. These numbers come from a study I ran a few years ago for a Private Health Fund here in Australia. They wanted to see how their customers behaved, particularly around exercise.
It was fascinating because we found that when people are time-poor, their self-care leaves first. Today, we’re more time-poor than we’ve ever been. Technology was meant to help us make life easier, but it hasn’t; we’re more tied to our work.
If we prioritised self-care, it would nourish us so much longer through the stress of everyday life than trying to keep pushing through in survival mode.
We know we need to exercise every day. It’s why moving your body became part of my 7 Steps to Sanitybook that I wrote 20 years ago. We need to be consistent in the way that we move our bodies.
10 minutes of exercise can make all the difference
I am a realistic naturopath. I want people to go for quality over quantity. Finding a spare 10 minutes in your day to move your body could be the difference between life and death.
A US study published in the JAMA Internal Medicine Journal found that over 110,000 deaths in the US can be prevented annually if adults over 40 complete 10 minutes of daily moderate to vigorous physical activity in their normal routines. It also found that an increase of 20 to 30 minutes could lead to even more lives saved.
Researchers analysed the activity levels of nearly 5,000 participants aged between 40 and 85 and tracked death rates through the end of 2015. They found that even a little bit of exercise can benefit health.
Fitting in 10 minutes of exercise every day is easier than people think. Think about how fast 10 minutes go by when you’re mindlessly scrolling social media or watching your favourite TV show? It’s not a big-time investment, but it can deliver big health benefits.
What exercise can you do for 10 minutes?
Walking outside in the fresh air is one of the best and simplest ways to bring consistent physical activity into your life.
Other low-cost at-home activities include bodyweight exercises. With no equipment, it’s easy to get in four rounds of three-minute bodyweight exercises – and you get an extra two minutes of benefit.
Aim to moderately exercise your entire body, balancing upper body strength, lower body strength and cardiovascular exercise. This can include 10-25 push-ups, the same number of squats, a minute of jogging in place, and when in doubt, you can always dance it out. Turning on some of your favourite songs and dancing in your kitchen feels more like a celebration than exercise. It takes three or four songs to get you to your 10-minute goal.
Exercise doesn’t have to be gruelling to be effective and bumping up your routine by just a little bit can have a huge impact. Start with 10 minutes and build on that. The consistency brings the results, not just the amount of time.
Helpful Links
Healthy Life Hacks
The Healthy Life Hack I want to share with you today is:
- Just start. Commit once to moving your body for 10 mins per day every day and start right now.
Did you enjoy the podcast today? Please let me know by leaving a review on Apple Podcasts. Every month I draw one lucky reviewer to have a free one-hour consultation with me. Also, remember to subscribe wherever you’re tuning in from so that you always catch the next episode.
Are you looking for more great resources? Get a free copy of my Feed Your Body ebook here and be sure to explore my blog while you are there.
