Improve Your Health in Five Minutes without Breaking a Sweat

July 12, 2013 12:14 am / Posted in , ,

What do you think of when you hear the words “improve your health?” If you’ve been reading my blog, you might think of intense boot camp-levels of exercise, or maybe eating protein and vegetables everyday.

You would be right. Those are excellent ways to improve your health. But today, I want to talk to you about a very simple exercise that is going to have an amazing impact on your mind and body without asking you to do anything stressful.

In fact I’m going to ask you to do the exact opposite. I’m going to ask you to not stress at all.

Relax and Improve Your Health

In case you missed my last article on the importance of relaxing for 20 minutes every day, de-stressing does a number of wonderful things for your body, including:

– Lowering blood pressure;
– Lowering your heart rate;
– Reducing inflammation;
– Boosting your immune system;
– Improving your sleep; and
– Improving your focus and mental clarity (even when you’re not meditating).

Hopefully you’ve been setting time aside in your day to unwind and center yourself. In this article, I’m going to try to convince you to take your relaxation up (down?) a notch and improve your health in the process.

I’m going to ask you to meditate.

Yes, you can improve your health even more if you meditate, even a little, every day. That’s because meditation:

– Stimulates the growth of new neural connections and brain cells;
– Improves your ability to regulate your feelings;
– Enhances memory and recall; and
– Grants you the ability to regulate your body clock.

Also, meditation is free, which on a benefits-to-cost ratio makes it incredibly efficient.

I’m Not Asking You to Move to Tibet…

We’re almost all thinking it: of that almost unnaturally calm monk in orange robes, living a peaceful life in some remote temple in a distant mountain chain. I’m going to write about how meditation isn’t about all that and I can’t help thinking it.

Image of a monk in a courtyard

Although it does look like a nice life…

Which brings me to my point: meditation isn’t about all that. You also don’t have to do it for 20 minutes to start. All I’m going to ask you is to meditate for 5 minutes. And that 5 minutes counts towards your 20 minutes de-stressing time.

Here’s how you do it:

1. Find a place free of distraction where you can get comfortable.
2. Sit or lie down. The position doesn’t matter so long as you’re relaxed.
3. Set your timer for 5 minutes and forget about it.
4. Close your eyes.
5. Do a 30-second mental scan of your body from head to toe. Focus on relaxing every muscle and let gravity pull everything to the ground. Let your face droop.
6. Focus only on your breathing. Don’t try and change the way you breathe, just listen to it. Feel it. Notice how the air moves into and out of your body.
7. Count 10 breaths, noticing the rhythm of each one. How does it sound? How does it feel?
8. Think of your thoughts as tumbleweeds moving through the landscape of your mind. Notice that they are there and send them on their way.
9. Don’t judge any particular thought. Don’t put any pressure on yourself. When a stressful thought comes through your mind ackknowledge it and move on.
10. Return your thoughts to your breathing. Don’t get worried about having to think about breathing, just breathe and observe.
11. Keep going until your timer is up.
12. Finish with 5 good breaths from your belly and open your eyes.

Feeling better?

Meditation is not about pushing yourself, or getting worked up, but it is a great way to improve your health.  Try increasing the time you do this over time and enjoy the serene feeling and increased mental clarity.

If you’re interested in finding out more ways to get better health outcomes, contact me at my Westboro personal training studio.  You can contact me by clicking here and filling out the form. I’ll get back to you shortly.

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