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Low-effort Ways To Improve Your Strength and Get Fit
We all know that getting fit – and staying that way – is a job in itself. And, with all the other pressures of modern life, many of us struggle to find the time to prioritise exercise. Happily, scientists have found that even the laziest, most sweat-resistant among us can transform our health and fitness by doing remarkably little.
From blink-and-miss-it daily bursts of exertion that leave you puffed to a brisk monthly walk, three-minute cold swims, or simply pottering around the house with the vacuum cleaner, there are many low-effort ways to improve your strength, brain and heart health, balance and longevity. And that means you’ll be left with plenty of time to hit the sofa.
You can do the following to stay fit-
- Balance on each leg for one minute – Researchers found that the ability to stand on one leg for ten seconds was linked to survival in middle-aged and older individuals.
- Sixty-second power squats – Squats preserve muscle mass and strength in the quads and hamstrings, but it’s important to have the correct form for maximum benefits.
- Burn fat with a chilly dip – A cold swim isn’t for everyone, but you have to only stay in for a few minutes to reap the benefits of more efficient fat-burning, lower inflammation and greater insulin sensitivity.
- Do 20 jumps for joy – Doing just ten or 20 ‘jumping repetitions’ per day can increase bone mass and strength, according to a recent study from Chukyo University in Japan, as the impact stimulates bone growth.
- A little yoga helps the heart – Just 15 minutes of daily yoga can lower blood pressure, your resting heart rate and cardiovascular risk, according to one recent study.
- Move faster once a month – Maintaining the not-terribly-taxing habit of a jog, swimming or game of badminton just once a month is enough to be beneficial to brain health.
- Doing household chores and other activities – As little as three or four-minute bursts of vigorous activity throughout the day for example, playing with children and pets, carrying shopping, climbing stairs briskly, walking uphill or running to catch a train — was associated with a substantially lower risk of premature death from all causes.
