(CNN) — If you feel like you don’t have enough time for non-basic daily self-care, you’re not alone. Many people cite their busy schedules as a barrier to a healthy lifestyle.
But what if you only needed 5 minutes?
Believe it or not, there are simple, practical activities you can do in 5 minutes or less to make a tangible positive impact on your health.
If you’re still unsure if you can make time, consider reclaiming it from unproductive, time-consuming activities. How many times have you checked your social media accounts, scrolled through posts without a second thought, and found out he was 5, 10, or even 20 minutes old?
Due to excessive social media usage, Negative effects on mental healthif you are one of them, 7 in 10 Americans For those who use social media, instead of scrolling for five minutes, it might be best to choose one of the five science-backed health-enhancing activities below.
concentrate on your breathing
Want to reduce stress and instantly improve your physical and mental health? breathing break. Just pause and take long, deep breaths in and out through your nose for a few minutes.
Even better, it doesn’t take a full 5 minutes to start reaping the health benefits. In just 90 seconds, deep breathing stimulates the physiological relaxation response, suppresses the production of stress hormones, lowers blood pressure and heart rate. According to research.working consistently breathe better can i do it tooImproves posture and reduces pain.
move your body
Sitting, especially for long periods of time, isn’t just bad for your body. physical health Mental health is also compromised, increasing the risk of both death and depression. Even just moving your body for 5 minutes at a time is effective. in fact, 2020 survey just found it 11 minutes of exercise dailyDoing it every step will extend its lifespan.
How you move your body is up to you. It doesn’t matter what kind of exercise you do, as long as you keep moving. What you can do is 5 minute yoga flow, body weight training or other creative means It’s about moving your body, like dancing to your favorite upbeat tune.
connect with friends
Take five minutes each day to feel seen and heard and give back to others. If you can’t see your friends and loved ones in person, Screen Time can be an advantage by enabling video chat. While it’s always good to speak in person, socializing in ways that help you feel supported can help you avoid feeling lonely and isolated. cognitive declinedepression, heart attack, stroke, premature death.
If your schedule doesn’t allow you to keep in touch with your friends every day, try starting conversations with others when you’re running errands. For example, you can easily strike up a conversation with a grocery store cashier by asking them how their day is going, answering with genuine interest, and providing information about their day. A smile and sincere interactions can go a long way toward the health of yourself and the people you meet. You might make new friends!
prepare healthy snacks
Have you ever watched TV and crave a snack, but didn’t want to spend time washing the fresh fruit in the fridge, so grabbed a bag of potato chips instead? . Accessibility is an important factor in making healthy choices, so taking him five minutes to prepare fresh food for snacking can have a big impact.
You’ve probably heard nutritionists and fitness influencers alike touting the benefits of weekly meal prep, making all your meals for the week in one day. While this is great in theory and convenient throughout the week, it can be logistically demanding and time consuming. If he only spends five minutes every other day washing and chopping his favorite fresh fruits and vegetables, it’s less intimidating and a good entry point into big meal prep.
let’s take a walk
Studies show that 10,000 steps a day can reduce the risk of cancer, heart disease and early death. new research I know that any amount of walking will help.So just 5 minutes walk It has a health-enhancing effect in neighborhoods and office buildings.
Taking it one step further (just kidding), one paper found that walking for five minutes every half hour produces an immediate and measurable drop in both blood pressure and blood sugar. Recent research.
Unlike lofty resolutions to improve your health, such as giving up cheese and chocolate for good, the 5-minute activities listed above are more hands-on. Consistent practice will allow you to: sustainable healthy habits It provides health-enhancing benefits for your lifetime. These 5-minute habits can extend your life.
CNN wire
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