First Weekly Challenge: 7 Minutes a Day
Quasita
Posts: 1,530 Member
Hey Everyone!
Yes, I'm posting this in the wee hours of Monday. I apologize for not getting this up before the Sunday bedtime hour. Thankfully, it'll be here for the finding in the morning!
If you're on my friends list, you may have already seen reference to this week's challenge. I dub it the "7 Minute Promise" and this was originally a promise between a friend of mine and myself. However, I felt it was a good starting point for the group, and thus, have elected to make it our first weekly challenge for the new wave.
Basically, this is how it goes...
Studies have shown that physical activity improves many aspects of our lives. It revs up metabolism, it perks up our mental and physical health, and aids with weight loss (yeah Lynn, we know!). The question that often comes to mind though is, how much activity is ENOUGH activity to see benefit? Many people will often use the excuse of "I just don't have time to exercise" as the reason for why they aren't doing more with their bodies. We often think of anything beneficial requiring a time commitment of at least half an hour if not more, sometimes adding to that commitment the need for a gym, a program, special clothes, etc etc etc.
I'm going to tell you right now that these reasons are generally BS. They are. These are excuses we make to excuse ourselves from doing what we know we should do, from doing things we know will help us.
The more recent conclusions have brought the science down to a number. This number? Seven minutes. A minimum of 7 minutes of additional activity a day can generate vast improvements in a variety of aspects. It doesn't have to be at a gym. It doesn't have to be a special program. We just need to hit that minimum to make a change for the better.
So the challenge for this week is... Every day, regardless of whether you plan an actual workout or not, make the conscious decision to add 7 minutes of additional activity. This is by no means a limit, mind you. A lot of times, that 7 minutes will lead to 7 more, and more still! However, I sincerely believe that we can find 7 minutes in our busy days.
I suggest making an entry on your exercise tab to mark this promise. Add an exercise, "7 minute promise Team RAWR" and just make the calorie burn equal to 1. This way, you can still log the exercise as whatever it is as a proper calorie burn without the Team RAWR promise causing an issue.
Examples of ways to add 7 minutes of activity:
~Walking the length of the grocery store while shopping
~Getting up from your desk at work and walking around the floor, or even better, going outside for a breath of fresh air and sun.
~Light calisthenics while cooking dinner
~Taking 7 minutes before bed to stretch
~Vigorously cleaning something in your house that you've been putting off
~Taking the stairs instead of the elevator
~Pushing for additional time on your planned workout
I know that many of you are participating in the April month-long challenge, using exercise as a goal. That's great, and that counts! This is just a challenge to not limit yourself to the 3 days a week workout routine. To make extra movement a part of your daily life. It may seem a silly challenge, but in our busy hectic lives, you might be surprised at how little "extra" we do on days when we don't plan a workout
So, what do you think you'll be adding to your routine to catch your 7 minutes of benefit?
I know I'll be pushing to get up from my desk at work and moving my body more, because desk jobs are notorious for sucking away our attention to our body's needs.
Yes, I'm posting this in the wee hours of Monday. I apologize for not getting this up before the Sunday bedtime hour. Thankfully, it'll be here for the finding in the morning!
If you're on my friends list, you may have already seen reference to this week's challenge. I dub it the "7 Minute Promise" and this was originally a promise between a friend of mine and myself. However, I felt it was a good starting point for the group, and thus, have elected to make it our first weekly challenge for the new wave.
Basically, this is how it goes...
Studies have shown that physical activity improves many aspects of our lives. It revs up metabolism, it perks up our mental and physical health, and aids with weight loss (yeah Lynn, we know!). The question that often comes to mind though is, how much activity is ENOUGH activity to see benefit? Many people will often use the excuse of "I just don't have time to exercise" as the reason for why they aren't doing more with their bodies. We often think of anything beneficial requiring a time commitment of at least half an hour if not more, sometimes adding to that commitment the need for a gym, a program, special clothes, etc etc etc.
I'm going to tell you right now that these reasons are generally BS. They are. These are excuses we make to excuse ourselves from doing what we know we should do, from doing things we know will help us.
The more recent conclusions have brought the science down to a number. This number? Seven minutes. A minimum of 7 minutes of additional activity a day can generate vast improvements in a variety of aspects. It doesn't have to be at a gym. It doesn't have to be a special program. We just need to hit that minimum to make a change for the better.
So the challenge for this week is... Every day, regardless of whether you plan an actual workout or not, make the conscious decision to add 7 minutes of additional activity. This is by no means a limit, mind you. A lot of times, that 7 minutes will lead to 7 more, and more still! However, I sincerely believe that we can find 7 minutes in our busy days.
I suggest making an entry on your exercise tab to mark this promise. Add an exercise, "7 minute promise Team RAWR" and just make the calorie burn equal to 1. This way, you can still log the exercise as whatever it is as a proper calorie burn without the Team RAWR promise causing an issue.
Examples of ways to add 7 minutes of activity:
~Walking the length of the grocery store while shopping
~Getting up from your desk at work and walking around the floor, or even better, going outside for a breath of fresh air and sun.
~Light calisthenics while cooking dinner
~Taking 7 minutes before bed to stretch
~Vigorously cleaning something in your house that you've been putting off
~Taking the stairs instead of the elevator
~Pushing for additional time on your planned workout
I know that many of you are participating in the April month-long challenge, using exercise as a goal. That's great, and that counts! This is just a challenge to not limit yourself to the 3 days a week workout routine. To make extra movement a part of your daily life. It may seem a silly challenge, but in our busy hectic lives, you might be surprised at how little "extra" we do on days when we don't plan a workout
So, what do you think you'll be adding to your routine to catch your 7 minutes of benefit?
I know I'll be pushing to get up from my desk at work and moving my body more, because desk jobs are notorious for sucking away our attention to our body's needs.
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Replies
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Count me in
I'm also going to focus on getting away from my desk for 7 minutes a day - in fact since it's break time (I work in a school) I'm off for a walk round to shout at children and get my 7 minutes in
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7 minutes, it's like 2 songs to dance to.0
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7 minutes, it's like 2 songs to dance to.
This!
Agreed on a desk job. I have started doing my 30 day squat/wall sit challenges at work because I want something other than sitting at my desk to do...0 -
Man, my heart is with ya'll but my feet are on FIRE. I can't believe they hurt so bad. I will walk enough to buy new shoes and a lemon tonight, possibly enough to get soup ingredients.
Good job ya'll.!0
