rules meant to be broken

I was initially attracted to the September 2014 issue of Health magazine because of it's glowing cover star: Erin Andrews. What a babe. Seriously. Of course, Health offers lots of juicy information beyond the aforementioned sexy sportscaster's workout regimen. (Hint: It's inspired by Physique 57.)

Health's September issue features one particularly intriguing piece: "Health Rules You Really Can Break" by Esther Crain

"Exercise less! Ignore expiration dates! These new-and-improved guidelines might just surprise you."

The rule:

You always need a solid seven to eight hours of sleep.

The new thinking:

Go ahead, stay up late--you can make up for it.

The rule:

Toss expired meds.

The new thinking:

Save 'em; they might be A-OK.

The rule:

Never use the ER as your doctor.

The new thinking:

Why wait to see your MD?

The rule:

Do at least 30 minutes of moderate exercise five days a week.

The new thinking:

Up the intensity and you can cut your workout time in half (or more!)

These "breaking news" guidelines aren't exactly shocking, but to me they're reassuring--especially the notion that needing to do at least 30 minutes of moderate exercise five days a week is now null. 

The new philosophy is that you can still benefit from exercising even if you're working out for just 10 minutes three times a week. That's right: 10 measly minutes! There's just one caveat: The 10 minutes are only effective if you're really pushing yourself. 

That's fine by me. On many nights my go-to workout is to run a mile, and sprint at the end. (Approximately 10 mins. total) Some friends and family members balk, "What's the point?" Haters gonna hate. I've always insisted that doing something, even just logging a mile on the treadmill, is better than doing nothing at all. 

Thank you Health for backing me up.

A

*See the article for full details.

Photo credit: James White [Health, September 2014]