Submitted by Dr. Samantha Ritchie for Vantage Physicians
No time to exercise? Got seven minutes?
I recently went to the American Academy of Family Physicians’ annual convention, in San Diego. There were quite a few talks about exercise and diet, and I learned some helpful strategies that I’d like to share with you. As you probably know, eating right and exercising are at the core of health. Here are a few tips that might help you if your goal is to be as healthy as you can be:
1. If you are already in reasonably good shape, consider trying HIIT, or High Intensity Interval Training. This is a type of exercise that involves short bursts of very intense work, followed by short periods of rest. One popular program lasts just seven minutes. For those who just can’t find the time to get to the gym, this is an option, as it can be done anywhere. Seven minutes is less than 1% of your day. Surely you can devote that to exercise. Click here for more information. If you want a free app that will help, just go to the App Store and type in Seven Minute Workout. This workout will help you improve your strength and your cardio respiratory fitness. Combine it with a daily walk, and you will be on your way to peak health.
2. Want to become more mindful about what you eat? People who lose weight and keep it off are aware of the importance of eating with awareness. They enjoy their food, and pay attention to what goes in their mouths. To help yourself become more mindful of your eating, you can either start a notebook where you write down your daily intake, or you can try an app like Myfitnesspal, which has a lot of built in lists that allow you to track what you eat. The more aware you are of your food choices, the better off you will be.
3. The buzz word for good dietary choices is Plant Based diet. The latest recommendations are 5-10 servings of fruits or vegetables per day. (A serving is about the size of your fist, so a big salad may get you 2-3 servings.) This doesn’t mean that you need to be vegetarian or vegan – it means that if you base your diet primarily around plant based foods, rather than meat, you will probably be healthier.
Vantage Physicians is located at 3703 Ensign Road Suite 10A, Olympia, WA 98506. You can reach us with questions at 360-438-1161 or online here.
