Using to stretch even for 10 minutes is a great way to stay healthy and active. Your favorite daily ritual may be a good sweat session
Using to stretch even for 10 minutes is a great way to stay healthy and active. Your favorite daily ritual may be a good sweat session but a skipped workout is inevitable every now and then. To-do lists can become overwhelming or the weather can become unforgiving. And an occasional mental and physical break is good for you.
Even the fitness professionals miss some workouts here and there (after all, they're just human). But there are a few regular routines that they like to observe every day and though a full-on workout is not feasible. Next time you're missing the gym, try one of those 10-minute routines to feel good and remain healthy.
1. Writing In A Journal
Whether or not she should hit the gym, D'Anette Stephens, a licensed personal trainer, enjoys enjoying 10 minutes of the morning with a cup of coffee, overnight oats, and a journal in hand.
According to the University of Rochester Medical Center, journaling is an outstanding method when coping with stress or anxiety. Journaling will also help you recognize negative thoughts or habits, offering a chance and outlet for constructive self-talk and setting goals.
"[Journaling] helps explain and concretize the thoughts in your mind," Stephens says. "It makes you feel good by ticking something off a list or adding it. It's free putting pen to paper."
She likes to keep two journals — one for prayers and diary entries and another for lists, goals, and suggestions for workouts. While Stephens likes to spend some time with each paper every morning, for those just starting out, a simple writing notebook will do the trick.
"Start writing about your day or whatever you have experienced that you want to fix," she says. "Start by writing an introduction to what the journal means to you. It's your thoughts that poured your heart into one place. Be open to your journal and it'll love you back.'
2. Do Stretches and Trigger Muscles
Kirsty Godso, the creator of Made Of Protein and Nike Master Trainer, prioritizes her list of micro-moments (little everyday activities that have a macro-impact on her day) when she is unable to do her regularly scheduled workout. Her everyday stretching and muscle activation routine is one of her top micro-moments.
"I still take a bit of time to stretch and trigger glute and heart," says Godso. "It could be just 10 minutes, but [this practice is] a positive signal to my body that I'm showing up for it and, as we know, the body loves routine, so keeping those little moments regular can often have a bigger impact than smashing a huge workout every other day."
3. Being Still and Grounded
If he's got a day full of Zoom meetings to attend, back-to-back fitness classes to teach, or countless errands to run, Maillard Howell sets aside 10 minutes per day (preferably the morning) to be still and grounded.
A cup of coffee or tea in hand, Howell spends barefoot in his grassy backyard for 10 minutes each morning. Howell takes this opportunity to prioritize his mental health, to concentrate on his breath, and to be a little footless and fancy-free.
"It seems that these rituals take my mind off the daily grind, the jobs, the goals, etc.," says Howell. "It makes me concentrate on just living and breathing without an agenda. Agendas often add a lot of pressure.[This ritual] helps me relate to my almost childlike natural being.
Howell suggests consciously scheduling time each day to physically relax and focus on your breathing. You can even insert this 10-minute session into your schedule so that your other activities for the day don't push it back. Howell also loves taking regular 10-minute mental clearing breaks in Zoom meetings.
4. Prioritizing Digestive Health
Carolina Araujo, the certified personal trainer, wants to keep her digestive wellbeing a top priority when she can't make it into the gym. She begins her day with a cold kombucha before placing some food inside her stomach.
According to Harvard Health Publishing, kombucha, a fermented, fizzy tea, is best known for its probiotic material, which may help improve gut health and can improve digestion.
"I love it, really," says Araujo. "I still drink an organic variety with added ginger and I find it certainly gives me a kick-start in the morning."
Nevertheless, keep an eye on the nutrition label, because store-bought kombucha teas can be high in added sugar. Look for a brand that adds no more than 5 grams of sugar per Harvard Health Publishing as a good rule of thumb.
COMMENTS