Kick start your healthy 2015

Here’s to a healthy 2015!  What are your goals for a healthy year?  We share some easy tips to get you started:

1.    Increase your incidental exercise

Life can be so busy that it’s hard to find time to exercise, but what if taking the stairs or getting off the bus one stop early could help our health.   Instead of emailing a colleague get up and have a chat, rather than have a coffee to meet up with a friend go for a walk.

Spending less time sitting and more time moving can improve your heath.  A study found people who sat for between 8 and 11 hours had an increase risk of death of 15% and those who sat for longer than 11 hours increased their risk of death by a whopping 40% (as compared to people who sat for only 4-8hrs/day).

2.    Get planning

We schedule appointments, social activities and work events so why not schedule exercise.  By putting it in your diary you are more likely to commit.  Start by booking an exercise “appointment” in your schedule once a week and as you regularly commit, add an extra exercise “appointment” each month.

3.    Sign up for an event

Nothing pushes you to commit to exercise like registering for an event.  By telling friends and paying for your ticket it’s hard to back down.  Some great events this year are Miss Muddy (www.missmuddy.com.au), City 2 Surf (www.city 2surf.com.au) and Ocean Swims (www.oceanswims.com.au).

4.    Cook up a storm

It doesn’t take long for our schedule to get booked up and at the end of a busy day sometimes cooking is the last thing we feel like.  But instead of reaching for the takeaway menu wouldn’t it be great if there was something healthy in the freezer already prepared.  Spend a bit of time on the weekend and cook up some yummy food that you can freeze and pull out during the week for those busy days.

5.    7 minute workout

And if all this is too hard there is always a 7 minute workout.  A study out of McMaster University found a 7 minute high intensity work out produced changes in the muscles comparable to several hours of cycling or running.  There is even an app to get you started (www.perigee.se/seven.php)

So enjoy and kick start your healthy 2015!