Writing is a socially acceptable form of schizophrenia. ~E.L. Doctrow

With words of pen and ink we can change the world!


Tuesday, August 16, 2011

15 Minutes a Day can Change Your Life


OK, I'm intrigued.

I've been putting off the exercise game...I tell myself it's too hot. And, at 110 it really is. I am very susceptible to heat related problems.

So, I just came across this article: A Little Exercise Goes a Long Way. Read it...

It says that when compared to people who haven't been doing ANYTHING (that would be me) that by instituting 15 minutes of exercise a day can improve your situation by 14%.  What do I mean by that?  Well, according to the article, you can decrease the likelihood of getting one of the following disease conditions by 14%...

The study included more than 400,000 people in Taiwan who were followed for an average of eight years. Based on their self-reported amounts of weekly exercise, they were placed in one of five categories: inactive, low, medium, high or very high activity.
The people in the low-activity group exercised for an average of 92 minutes per week, or just under 15 minutes a day. Compared to those in the inactive group — who did almost no physical activity — those in the low-activity group were 14 percent less likely to die from any cause, 10 percent less likely to die of cancer, and had a three-year longer life expectancy, on average.
Every additional 15 minutes of daily exercise beyond the minimum 15 minutes further reduced the risk of all-cause death by 4 percent and the risk of cancer death by 1 percent.
So...how can I incorporate 15 minutes of exercise into my day?  I'm on conference calls a good part of the day and then the rest of the time I'm "chained" to my computer writing.

I came up with a great idea.  I have a house that has a continuous loop downstairs...so I've taken to putting my phone on a headset, putting a leash on my dog (who I also will not exercise outdoors in this heat) and we walk.  Sometimes we walk for 15 minutes...sometimes we walk for an hour.  When I'm focused on the call, I don't notice how much time passes (which makes the exercise process easier) and I'm inside in the air-conditioning where I'm not likely to become ill from the heat.

You're right...I'm not outside, but neither are the people who go to the gym.  I've just moved my mindset, and I take my dog for at least one walk a day while I'm on a call.

So, for those of you who think I'm breathing heavy...it's not what you think...I'm actually getting my heart rate up and decreasing my risk of cancer and other serious illnesses...by walking inside every day. 

How cool is that?