AEROBICS
The 20 Minute Morning Routine Guaranteed to Make Your
Day Better
Medications, meditations, or
chugging coffee not required.
Want tomorrow to be different? Want
to be in a better mood the whole day? It's easy: Work out early, for about 20
minutes, before you start your day.
You probably already know that
exercise is energizing. Researchers at the University of
Georgia
found that previously sedentary adults who started doing 20 minutes of low- to
moderate intensity aerobic exercise three times a week for six weeks reported
feeling less fatigued and more energized. The time of day doesn't matter; work
out a little, feel a little better. Even five minutes of moderate exercise can create a mood-enhancement effect.
But
one study took a different approach, focusing on the longer-term impact of
exercise on mood.
Researchers at the University of
Vermont
found that aerobic training of "moderate intensity," with an average
heart rate of around 112 beats a minute--elevated, sure, but it's not like they
were hammering away--improved participants' mood for up to twelve hours after
exercise.
"Moderate intensity aerobic
exercise improves mood immediately and those improvements can last up to 12
hours," says Dr. Jeremy Sibold. "This goes a long way to show that
even moderate aerobic exercise has the potential to mitigate the daily stress
that results in your mood being disturbed."
And you'll also feel smarter; exercise creates new brain cells and
makes those new cells more effective. As Gretchen Reynolds says, "Exercise
does more to bolster thinking than thinking does."
So there you go: Work out first
thing. Feel better. Be smarter. Sure, you could work out after work, but then
the happy feelings and extra brainpower will be wasted while you're asleep.
Remember, you only need to do about
20 minutes of moderate aerobic exercise. For most people, "moderate"
means your heart rate should be within 100 to 120 beats per minute (depending
on age, fitness level, medical conditions, etc.)
Checking your heart rate is easy.
Exercise for about five minutes and then take your pulse. (There are plenty of
apps you can use, but any timer is fine.) Or use a Fitbit or FuelBand. Or use the "conversation" test. Say you and a
friend are jogging and you're struggling to make small talk because you're
gasping for air; that means you're probably working too hard.
The key is to remember that your
morning workout doesn't have to be draining or exhausting. You don't have to
wear yourself out to get a day-long mood and brainpower boost. All you have to
do is get up, get moving, and see your quick morning workout not as a chore but
as a way to kick-start your day--it's like coffee, but much more effective and
long-lasting.
BY Jeff Haden
http://www.inc.com/jeff-haden/20-minutes-guaranteed-to-make-your-whole-day-better-tues.html?cid=em01014week51a
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