Sarah Ballantyne, PhD of ThePaleoMom.com recently shared this fabulous article about the potential dangers of over-training. Essentially too much activity can negatively impact your health; causing increased levels of the stress hormone cortisol, an activated immune system, and body-wide inflammation. You may have heard this before but it bears repeating; your body does not know the difference between the stress of a lion attack, a near-miss on the freeway,a looming deadline, or (apparently) running a marathon. Any of these experiences can trigger the Fight-or-Flight Response, and hanging out in Flight-or-Fight has serious consequences for your health.
Dr. Ballantyne completely put an end to my vague desire to ‘run a marathon – someday’ when she shared that ‘Up to half of all long-distance runners experience something called runner’s diarrhea (colloquially referred to as “runner’s runs,” “runner’s trots,” or “the gingerbread man”). The symptoms include dizziness, nausea, stomach or intestinal cramps, vomiting, and diarrhea, which occur mainly while running.’. Now that I think about it, I only wanted to run because I have so many friends who have newsfeeds full of pictures of medals and sweaty runner-friend finish line hugs- that’s the part that looks awesome to me – the hugs!
Obviously you DO need to move your body (and what’s excessive for me might be a breeze for you) but it may be time to rethink the whole ‘Go Big or Go Home’ philosophy. Dr. Ballantyne recommends listening to your body, having fun, and ‘getting some moderately-intense activity designed to build strength into your day’ – we couldn’t agree more.
How many people do you know who are alive – technically?
People who are still with us physically but are limited in what they can participate in due to health issues or physical impairment.
Unfortunately I know a few people like that – enough to know that I don’t want to live my life like that. I don’t want to live my life waiting for it to be over. I want to live my life. I want to see everything, DO everything. I don’t want to miss a minute with my loved ones – especially not because I didn’t take care of myself like I should.
I have great intentions for taking care of myself. I love to exercise, heck I even love to run for the block and a half that I can run before I’ve lost my breath (I can never figure out the breathing) and I enjoy many physical activities with my little family. But realistically, I’m in the same boat as a large percentage of Americans. I have a family, I volunteer my time in several capacities, I work too many hours and all too often I really am deciding between doing one more thing or getting a decent night’s sleep. It is far too easy to push taking care of myself to the back burner regardless of how much I desire something else.
That’s why I love Minute Movement. Aaron developed Minute Movement because he just wasn’t able to fit in time for exercise and he wondered what would happen if he started exercising while he was at work. What happened is that I noticed a difference in the way his body looked one morning a few weeks later and asked him what he was doing.
Now, even with all that we have on our plates, we stop every hour for one minute to give ourselves the gift of health. We fully intend to experience our lives in the state of being well – won’t you join us?
It is remarkable how one’s wits are sharpened by physical exercise. – Pliny the Younger
The mind/body connection is really sticking with me this week!
Tuesday I shared information about a study suggesting a correlation between midlife physical fitness and dementia in later life. Today I’d like to take a look back at our late teens and a study that ‘shows a clear link between good physical fitness and better results for the IQ test’, particularly ‘for logical thinking and verbal comprehension’. Of course, since the researchers looked at data from 1950-1976 they were also able to compare the results of the fitness tests (taken while the young men were participating in Swedish national service) to socioeconomic status later in life. Guess what – ‘Those who were fit at 18 were more likely to go into higher education, and many secured more qualified jobs.’ So exercise makes you successful? 🙂
I have read several other articles that indicate that being physically fit (and making sure our brains get plenty of oxygen) positively affects our intelligence. This certainly turns the old stereotype of the ‘dumb jock’ on it’s ear doesn’t it? Although I’ve known plenty of smart athletes in my time.
Incidentally, the study says that ‘youngsters who improve their physical fitness between the
ages of 15 and 18 increase their cognitive performance’ so if you have teenagers who are getting a little sedentary ask them to join you on your next walk.
(I could NOT find the actual study but one of the articles I used for my research is here)
The Minute Movement team always loves reading articles that support our awesome program and this one by the University of Utah , is no exception! What started as an interesting hypothesis and has proven to work for us, is more and more often being supported by the medical and scientific communities.
We’ve read for years that we can (and should) get more movement in our day by taking the stairs and parking farther away from store entrances when we go shopping. But weight bearing exercises are also important and increased muscle mass helps to increase your metabolism (not to mention that you look better with strong muscles). Be sure to add (or continue) your Minute Movement exercises to your extra walking for ideal benefits!
I had the opportunity to work on a film crew with Tom Chaffer filming a reality T.V. show on fitness. John Disterdick is the host who is encouraging everyone to never give up no matter what your age. His message is to just get out and do something to stay healthy. John won his bouts too and become the Master World Champion. Congratulations John!
Many of you may be wondering how I developed the Minute Movement. Well, I came up with the basic idea several years ago but did not put it into action until recently. I am a full-time home mortgage lender with a busy schedule revolving around work and family. And like many people, I had difficulty finding the time to exercise. Until one day, feeling fed up and frustrated, the motivating factor appeared. I was asked to be best man in my brother’s wedding. Suddenly, I knew I had to spring into action if I wanted to look good for the wedding. I planned out a few simple routines and the next morning got started at my office.
This routine of one-minute intensive exercises exceeded my expectations. By the second week, I was amazed by how good I felt. After three weeks, my wife noticed that I looked fit and had more energy. So, I shared my secret with her and the Minute Movement was born.
What exactly is the Minute Movement?
The Minute Movement is a unique blend of one-minute Isometric and Isotonic exercises, which produce maximum results from minimal effort. It’s a patent pending health, wellness and strength system designed for busy people who know they should be exercising, but simply do not have the time. It keeps you energized throughout the day.It helps you manage your time more effectively. The program is designed for men and woman of any age or fitness level. This is the quickest and most efficient way to maintain your health and strength because it can be accomplished effectively anytime and anywhere.
"My job requires me to work on a computer and attend hourly conference calls. Since I started the Minute Movement I feel rejuvenated. My co-workers have noticed a change in me both physically and mentally. Thanks Minute Movement!"
L.L. Strickland
"At work, I used to get bogged down with projects taking too long to complete. Now, I am so much more aware of the time, and can place limits on certain tasks. The Minute Movement helps me be more productive."
Tina
