Good news for all post-menopausal women who don’t like to exercise for long periods – running, biking, etc.
A new study has shown that five minutes of movement every half hour reduces insulin spikes after eating by 60%! That’s quite a big bang for your five minutes! And the people in the study didn’t run up and down stairs or jump rope, they walked!
Here’s the science behind this: when we exercise, our muscles require glucose – sugar – as the fuel source. When we contract our muscles, our bodies use GLUT4 transporter proteins which rise to the surface of the muscle cell and escort glucose molecules into the cell. So, physical activity helps to clear glucose out of the bloodstream and bring it into muscles where it can be utilized. This helps lower blood sugar. The even better news is that it took only five minutes of movement every 30 minutes!
This study adds to others that have shown that short bursts of activity during a day have many benefits. This makes it much easier to squeeze in your suggested weekly 150 minutes of exercise!
I’m going to challenge you to try this for seven days, starting today. We’ll all set out watch or phone timers to ring every 30 minutes, today, and each day for the next seven days. Stop what you’re doing when it goes off and MOVE!
It doesn’t matter if you’re on the phone, a Zoom call, or sitting at your desk, just take a five-minute break and do something! If you like to dance, then dance. If you’re in a Zoom meeting, simply stand up and do a bit of running or walking in place, some squats, or my 4 minute routine. It all counts! Try a different movement each day if you’re looking for variety.
An added benefit could be that someone on that Zoom call will see you moving and might also get up and move, so as you’re helping yourself gobble up the glucose, you’ll be helping others, too! A win win!
And, if you’re not ready to do five minutes every half hour, no problem! Start with five minutes every hour! Just start!
How about it, are you up for this challenge? Join me and we can compare notes next week.
I’m sure that we’ll have more energy, breathe better, and feel great making this tiny little step on our weight loss journey!
To get your 150 minutes a week done, aim for six five-minute sessions each day. That gives you 30 minutes a day. After five days, you’ve hit your 150 minutes! Easy, peasy!
And, because David Crosby was such a HUGE part of our lives, here’s a little video that should bring back some memories and make you smile!
Best of Health,
Kathi
