Enhance Your Health
Health Tip of the Week: 8-12 Minutes per Day
Startling research coming out of Stanford University may change how you think about exercise. One exercise session, lasting 8-12 minutes led to changes in 9,815 molecules in the body. Bare in mind that this was not an exercise session like walking down the block , riding a bike or even regular weight training. This session was what some would call atypical of the “normal” workout.
I will come back around to the actual workout in a bit. So, what were some of these changes in the 9,815 molecule affected in the body? The changes occurred in energy metabolism, oxidative stress (body cell damage), inflammation, tissue repair and growth factor. In all, 17,662 molecules were measured, 9,815 of which changed in response to exercise, with some going up and others going down. Certain molecules also spiked immediately after exercise then quickly dropped, while others remained heightened for an hour.
"It was like a symphony," professor Michael Snyder, Ph.D. chair of genetics at Stanford University told The New York Times. "First you have the brass section coming in, then the strings, then all the sections joining in.” Research published in the Lancet medical journal of Great Britain showed that exercising for 15 minutes a day, or an average of 92 minutes per week, lowers all-cause mortality by 14% and extends life expectancy by three years compared to being inactive.
On the flip side of the coin, people who were inactive had a 17% increased risk of mortality even compared with those who exercised for just 15 minutes a day. Basically, this means that it is not necessary to walk or jog two hours on the treadmill or at the weight train at the gym to get beneficial results.
As far as the workout goes, here is a sample workout that can be done in less 15 minutes or less and variations can be made if there are any physical issues such that prevent you from doing a particular exercise.
Each exercise is performed for about 30 seconds with 10 seconds rest allowing you to move from exercise to exercise. If done according to the time frame, this circuit will last you 7 minutes. The circuit should be performed two to three times. The exercises are designed to be done in this specific order as they are selected to allow opposing muscle groups to alternate between resting and working. This session gives you an idea of how you can squeeze in exercise at home and in a very short amount of time.
- Jumping jacks (total body)
- Wall sit (lower body)
- Pushup (upper body)
- Abdominal crunch (core)
- Step-up onto chair (total body)
- Squat (lower body)
- Triceps dip on chair (upper body)
- Plank (core)
- High knees/running in place (total body)
- Lunge (lower body)
- Pushup and rotation (upper body)
- Side plank (core)
Pregnancy / Prenatal Chiropractic Care Information
Recent studies have found that pregnant patients who visited the chiropractor reported relief from back pain during the pregnancy in 84% of the cases. The study also found that chiropractic adjustments may significantly decrease the incidence of “back labor.” The risk of experiencing back labor was almost 3 times greater if back pain was experienced during the pregnancy. It was also reported that there may be a relationship between back pain throughout pregnancy and a longer duration of the labor and the delivery process. Studies report that women who seek prenatal chiropractic care throughout pregnancy have, on average, a 25% -31% shorter labor time.