Adding the minutes on the hands of time….

    Changing the clocks twice a year seems like a huge waste of time, so to speak. It doesn’t matter if we fall back or spring forward, I always feel like I’ve lost an hour. Even worse, I can’t find it anywhere, no matter how hard I look.

    Time is a funny thing anyway; it seems to slip away when you’re not looking. Add that pesky one hour time change and it’s amazing how it gets away from us. It disrupts our schedule and our circadian rhythm. On the other hand, if one hour can mess us up, doesn’t it make sense that one hour can work to our advantage?

    A lot of my clients tell me that they are simply too busy to exercise. Between work, family and other obligations, they just don’t have the time. I know, and I understand. However, I explain that just a few minutes of exercise a day quickly adds up and can have a huge positive cumulative effect on their basic fitness goals. Certainly they can manage that.

    They usually look at me as if they don’t believe me. After all, conventional wisdom tells them that they should go to the gym five days a week or at least get down on the floor and do an hour of tedious exercises to get into some sort of shape. But, small changes have a huge impact. And, they are easier to implement and result in longer lasting healthy habits. 

    If you exercise just ten minutes a day, six days a week, you’ll log in an hour a week to get started on a path to fitness and better health. It might not seem like much at first, but it’s a start. If you already have an exercise routine, try adding an additional ten minutes of light weights, core strengthening, stretching or balance training. You’ll be amazed at how much better you feel, and that is a powerful motivator to keep going. It’s worth a try. After all, the time is going to pass anyway. Why not make good use of it?

Be healthy!
Cheryl Ilov, PT, GCFP