Even 5-10 minutes of daily physical activity can improve health

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We know from a vast library of research that physical exercise prevents heart disease, lowers high blood pressure, reduces LDL cholesterol, improves digestion, speeds food transit through your large intestine, oxygenates internal organs, improves joint flexibility, enhances mental function, prevents cancer, prevents diabetes, enhances bone density, prevents osteoporosis, reverses depression and has many other beneficial effects. In fact, physical exercise is absolutely essential for being healthy, and without it, you'll never be truly happy, even if you follow other health strategies mentioned on this site.

What can you do for 5-10 minutes a day that gets your heart pumping? Just about anything: walking, jumping rope, swimming, cycling, dancing, climbing stairs, roller blading, aerobics, fast-paced Pilates, and so on. There are even things you can do if you can't use your legs, or if you're obese or suffering from joint pain. A good doctor or physical therapist can help a lot here, so be sure to work with a qualified health professional to design a physical exercise program that works for you.

You may also consider joining a local gym and signing up with their training coaches. These people can offer you a wealth of information on what really works for weight loss, strength improvement and enhanced fitness. Or, if you don't want to go to a gym, hire a personal trainer, buy some books, or just figure it out for yourself. This isn't rocket science: just get your heart pumping by moving your body.

Bite-sized exercise
It's not difficult to find something to do; what's difficult for most people is actually DOING IT. That's why I want you to start at 5-10 minutes a day (if you're not already exercising more than that). It's something that's doable, even if you've been a couch potato for 10 years. Heck, just walking across a large parking lot takes a couple of minutes. Do that twice and you have 5 minutes of walking. I call it "bite-sized exercise."

It shouldn't be hard to find an extra five minutes in your busy schedule, either. People spend more than 5 minutes waiting in line at the McDonalds drive-through. You can waste a whole hour waiting on a pharmacist to fill a prescription for dangerous prescription drugs. Why not invest just 5 minutes in your own good health?

The key here it to make it DAILY. No excuses. No exceptions. Make it every day. Make it a habit. Even if it's raining, or snowing, or you don't feel very good. Even if you're sick, walking is much healthier than staying in bed.

Over time, this 5 minute habit will become something you actually enjoy and look forward to. At that point, you might explore the possibility of expanding it to 10 minutes, 20 minutes or even longer (whatever you're comfortable with). It's up to you: make it a pleasure, not a chore. And recognize that it can be self rewarding to the point where you actually WANT to exercise much longer than 5-10 minutes. But don't force yourself to get there. Let the joy come naturally (as it will).

This article is a content segment from the book, the Five Habits of Health Transformation by Mike Adams. The book covers the five most effective, yet effortless strategies for enhancing health. Written for busy people, it explains how to get the greatest health results possible with the least investment in time, money or effort.

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