In this busy world of hush and rush, women find less time to their health. But note small changes in your lifestyle could add on to give you a better disease free, fit and healthy body.
We often hear people complaining lack of time and motivation to exercise or that they are too busy to workout. All of us can squeeze out 20 min of or daily routine to achieve a healthy weight and body. All of seem to spend enough time to go out for a movie, fun, parties etc. I often ponder on one question, Is it that hard to track down 20 min for your health out of the 24 hrs in a day?
What we really lack is the true desire to commit for the cause of healthy living. We all know the quote, Slow and steady wins the race.
Lets see how a 20 min input can bring about a positive change in your life.
- 20 min of strength training: Weight training needs to be an essential part of everybody’s fitness regime in order to boost up the metabolism and fight aging. Add 1 min push-up, 2 min wall squat, 1 min superwoman, 2 min reverse lunge, 2 min calf raise, 2 min lateral raise, 1 min shoulder press, 3 min leg lift, 3 min crunches, 2 min cool down and there you are ready to move on. All it takes is two or three 15- to 20-minute strength-training sessions a week to build more muscle mass.
- 20 min of cardio: If time commitments force you to abandon your regular workout routine, don’t worry — you can achieve full-body fitness with a simple 20-minute effort. How? well that’s simple, 20 min of daily cardio will build up to 1hr 40 min of cardio per week, 6 hrs of workout a month and so on. That sounds a pretty good effort for your physical and mental health. Walk orbike to work or on errands whenever feasible. According to the league of American Bicyclists, cycling to work not only can help your health, it also can save money. At work, try to devote your lunch hour to some sort of activity; a workout at the gym or at least a walk around the block – or several blocks. If you move briskly, you should be able to cover a mile in about 20 minutes, one you’ve gotten into the walking habit. Be sure to drink water throughout the day and be mindful of your posture throughout the day. Following a simple interval training routine will get your heart rate up and your blood flowing, and you will quickly improve your fitness and be rewarded with superior health.
- 20 min to low fat meals: Instead of relying on ready-to-eat or packed food which could contain lot of fat or excess calories you can cook healthy recipes in just 20 min. What you gain, well minus all the added calories added on to your waist. For recipes ideas, click here. Send all those excuses right out the door and get cooking with one of these 20-minute recipes, well, if you want a slimmer waistline.
- 20 min to motivation: Reason behind exercise and healthy lifestyle dropout is 99% times lack of motivation. If you take a look at any success story and grasp the one element of similarity between them, you’ll notice that virtually every self-made, successful person has this one super-important object of success in their mind- a burning desire to succeed. What counts is your frame of mind. Age, location, ethnic origin, gender, or any other individuality have absolutely no part in your attitude to achieve what you desire. You can achieve desired health and fitness goals if you stay determined and focused on the goal rather than the result. Looking for motivation, click here.
- 20 min deep breathing: Several studies … showed that 15 minutes of daily breathing exercise lowered BP [Blood Pressure] within 8 weeks by 12.1/6.1 mmHg as compared to 7.6q3.4 mmHg in the control group. Relaxation techniques such as deep breathing, visualization, progressive muscle relaxation, meditation, and yoga can help you activate this relaxation response. When practiced regularly, these activities lead to a reduction in your everyday stress levels and a boost in your feelings of joy and serenity. What’s more, they also serve a protective quality by teaching you how to stay calm and collected in the face of life’s curveballs. Most stress experts recommend setting aside at least 10 to 20 minutes a day for your relaxation practice. Continue to breathe in through your nose and out through your mouth. Try to inhale enough so that your lower abdomen rises and falls. Count slowly as you exhale.
It’s amazing, really. These seemingly meaningless things you might do for yourself may not have immediate results, but after just a short period of time they’ll have you looking and feeling better. So add those 20 min to your daily routine, and watch your body change for good.
There is no shortcut to desired goals, but short input can add on to bigger results. Practice and watch yourself change.