5-MINUTE FIXERS
Five Minute Health Boosters
There’s not always time for a trip to a day-spa or the will to live on green vegetables. Here’s how to ramp up your feel good factor in five minutes, whatever time of day it is
by Ali Wad
7am Sit still for five minutes. Before you jump (or crawl) out of bed and begin the endless tasks for the day, take a moment to sit down in a quiet place. Place your hands in a comfortable position with your eyes rested downward. Breathe slowly and just chill for five, or repeat a helpful mantra to yourself. It could be, ‘I love and approve of myself exactly as I am’, or it could be, ‘I’m a damn sexy beast and nobody can stop me’ – whatever makes you feel good. Studies have shown that regular meditation can boost self-confidence and improve your ability to handle stress.
9am Instead of sugar or honey, add a handful of sultanas to sweeten your cereal. Your mum probably told you to eat carrots to improve your eyesight, but research shows that fruit such as sultanas can lower the risk of losing your eyesight as you get older by 36%. Sultanas are like mini vitamin pills, and they also keep your teeth healthy. The phytonutrients, specifically one called oleanolic acid, kill the bacteria that cause fillings and they contain a high level of antioxidants, which keep you looking younger from the inside out.
10.30am Exercise your eyes. Yes you read that right! Most of us spend far too long eyeballing PC screens and as a result can develop eye strain, headaches and a worsening of your contact lens prescription. Try this one: stare into the distance (not at your laptop) and look upwards imagining a clock, so your eyes are at 12 o’clock. Move them to the right slightly to one o’clock for five seconds and on to two o’clock, three o’clock, etc. and back round to 12, holding for five seconds at a time. You can also do this with your eyes closed.
12pm Chug back a coffee. Caffeine gets a bad press for its health effects, but the negative consequences tend to be stronger in men than in women. As well as improving alertness (handy when you’re getting a spreadsheet run down from Nigel in accounts), habitual coffee drinking has been associated with a significantly lower risk of Type II diabetes. Stick with no more than three cups a day though or you risk a racing heart and scaring Nigel off with your coffee breath.
1.30pm Go outside and sit in the sun. Okay, so that’s not always an option in England, but with all the warnings about sun and skin cancer, experts are now reporting an increase of patients with lack of vitamin D symptoms. Your body needs 20 minutes of sun a day to produce enough vitamin D, which data shows helps strengthen your bones and may fight heart disease and cancer.
3.30pm Chew gum. This is just about the time when your lunch has settled and your brain starts firing hunger signals around again. Research by the Wrigley Science Institute found that hunger and desire to eat were significantly suppressed by chewing gum at one, two and three hour intervals after lunch. Participants also reported that chewing gum improved their mood by reducing anxiety and stress, and increasing contentment and relaxation. So before you succumb to the call of Cadbury pop a stick of gum in your mouth and you could save yourself the sugar guilt-trip.
6.30pm Call your funniest friend – a good crack up has been shown to fight stress symptoms in your body and The Journal Of the Medical Association published a study that showed a good laugh boosts your immune system for up to 12 hours, protecting against disease and depression. So the people who make you smile, guffaw or cry belly-laugh tears are ones to keep close. But even laughing at your father-in-laws bad wisecracks can aid your wellbeing, as the brain cannot tell the difference between real laughter and pretend laughter.
7.45pm After dinner grab your dog (or your partner) and go for a speed walk around the block. Not only will this help digest your meal, but it’ll make you a nicer person to be around. The Exercise Laboratory at the University of California claims that a vigorous walk around the block can be more effective than a 400mg tranquiliser. Woo hoo! Remember that your technique when walking is as important as your speed for your body – as you step out visualise your hips leading your legs and feet, with your feet pointing straight ahead. This will stop your knees and hips from suffering stress.
10pm Get frisky. This is supposed to last longer than five minutes but sometimes we’d all prefer a good night’s sleep to a romp in the bedroom. But make the effort and you’ll gain more than just a smile on your face in the morning. Studies show that sex (or self-loving) boosts chemicals in the body that fight against disease, promotes heart health, eases muscle pain and increases life span. Why we need other reasons to have sex I’m not sure, but a survey of 1113 UK adults found that, if we were given an extra hour in the day, most of us would rather sleep than make love.
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