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Five minutes — really, that’s all you need to make an improvement on your health and wellbeing! Life is busy, and crazy, and full of ups and downs, but it is essential to stop, even if it’s for only 5 minutes, and take care of you. These are all small additions and changes that can make a tremendous difference on the way to feel in just five minutes. We all deserve to be happy and healthy, so start by taking five minutes a day for you!
5 Minutes a Day Stretching
It seems to be a natural reflex first thing as we wake up to reach our arms up and stretch for a second before hitting the ground running, so extend that into a quick 5 minute stretch in the morning. They can be simple stretches like rolling your neck from side to side, shoulders up and down, lean side to side, or sun salutations (yoga). Set your alarm five minutes early and allow yourself a few minutes to stretch first thing in the morning for some additional health benefits.
- increase blood flow
- decrease your chances of activity-related injuries
- improve athletic performance
Make a Green Smoothie
I talk about green smoothies often, so no surprise I snuck this onto the list. If you are looking for a way to increase nutrition, vitamins and your intake of raw fruits and vegetables this is a great option. It takes just five minutes to make a smoothie — that’s a cup full of nutrition in a hurry!
5 Minute Daily Workout
One of my favorite apps are the Daily Workouts Apps. Each app has a different target area, and you can extend the workouts from 5 minutes to 30 minutes. The ab workout is my favorite! Download one of the apps and use it while watching your favorite evening show, or for a quick workout to start the day. You’ll feel better knowing you did something, even if it is only 5 minutes! There are also lots of workouts on Pinterest. I have saved several on my Fitness board that are quick and require no equipment!
Fix Yourself a Cup of Hot Tea
I think hot tea is so comforting and calming, especially late afternoon and evening when my sweet cravings seem to be in overdrive. While comforting and calming are two benefits of hot tea, there are many, many more health benefits. Unless you add something to your tea, a cup of tea has no calories and most of the time no sugar-added. You could lose one pound a week by cutting out 250 calories a day, so replace any caloric drinks with a cup of hot tea to reduce your calories and improve you health. Some health benefits of tea:
- high in antioxidants
- can boost your metabolism and immunity
- good for your teeth
- help lower cholesterol
Five Minutes to Relax, Unwind and Restore
We live a wild world. Turn on the news in the morning and it is full of sad stories and political madness, then many of you sit in rush hour at some point, and grind all day at work, school, or take care of the little one’s and house. It’s non-stop for all of us, all day, 365 1/4 days a year.
Find a way to stop, and spend five minutes relaxing. This will reduce stress, lower blood pressure, increase self confidence and make you feel better.
- Laughter – find a way to laugh. That could be a phone call to a friend, playing a game, watching a funny video, reading a book — whatever it is, we could all use a little more laughter in our lives. :)
- Take a hot bath with essential oils or epsom salts to relax.
- Meditate – I’m a big believer in meditation and deep relaxation. I do not do it enough, but my favorite time of the week is the 5 minutes at the end of yoga class we spend in Shavasana (corpse pose). We worked hard for 60 minutes, and our bodies are exhausted, but we don’t just roll up the mat and leave. Instead, we all lay still on our backs with a cool, lavender scented cloth over our eyes. It’s a reflective moment and the only time I stop during the week to focus on the present moment. As soon as Shavasana is over, you can look around the room and see a sense of relief, and a renewed energy on everyone’s face.
Hope you get your five minutes today, and every day!
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Love this post because it emphasizes little, inexpensive to no cost ways to make our daily life a little less hectic. One day, I was having a really crummy day at a new job. One of the job perks was a selection of teas by the water dispenser so by the afternoon, nearly frazzled to tears, I grabbed a teabag and prepared a cup. Let me tell you, it really relaxed me and allowed me to refocus. I’ve printed off this list to incorporate more techniques to become more Zen. Thank you.
I’m not sure if you’ve posted anything on this subject, but what are some healthy ways to sweeten your beverages like tea and coffee? I’m currently using raw honey to sweeten my tea, but it’s a little pricey and goes fast. I’ve also tried agave, but it’s just like honey in being a little expensive and not lasting past a few cups. Thank you in advance for any advice.