Instant Recess - A Way to Sneak Exercise into Your Day
April 15, 2011
By Linda T. Gottlieb, MA, CPT, CET
I've heard every excuse to avoid exercise, hey! I even wrote a book about it: "No If's Ands or Butts - How to Turn the Top Ten Exercise Excuses into Fitness Triumphs".
The #1 excuse is always "I don't have time". Patients and survivors might add "I am too tired, too sick or too overwhelmed" to exercise. I get it. These are common issues.
Setting aside the ½ hour a day for structured exercise might sound daunting and even exhausting (and that's just thinking about it!).
I bet, however, you can remember when you were 10 or 12 years old and recess was an escape from all that hard thinking in school? A chance to play outside, perhaps in a quick game of dodge ball or sandlot football?
What about incorporating the thought of "instant recess" into your day? That's the title of a book by Dr. Toni Yancey, professor of health services at the University of California, Los Angeles, and also a different strategy for getting some serious exercise every day.
The idea is simple: At least twice a day, devote 10 minutes to some type of physical activity. Take a brisk walk outside, do some in home marching, dance or lift a few weights- anything that gets your heart pumping a bit.
Three 10 minute "recess" breaks add up to 30 minutes of exercise, the amount the American Cancer Society recommend for a healthier lifestyle.
You'll feel better physically and emotionally, and you'll probably find yourself looking forward to "instant recess" instead of dreading "exercise".
Check out Toni Yancey reciting her poem "Recapturing Recess" on YouTube:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vdo5L_tnR9s
|