Canadianliving.com feature - By Natalie Bahadur
Nothing raises your energy faster and more effectively than exercise. The simple act of moving can jump-start your metabolic machinery. Recent research shows that exercise has a direct, immediate effect on energy – if you do nothing more right now than stand up and hop up and down for three minutes you will feel a surge of energy and you will feel more alive.
Along with our expanding waistlines, the sizes of our bowls, cups and plates have also grown over the years. Just look at antique dinnerware as a comparison. Plate diameters are about 2 inches (5 cm) smaller on old porcelain, whereas today's new sets of china include plates that may be mistaken for serving platters. Using smaller plates, bowls and cups can help cut down on portion size, since petite serving vessels hold less food. Some people even use salad plates for their main course in an effort to curb gigantic helpings.Got a spare two and a half hours to burn? Of course you don’t, but that’s how long the experts say we should spend sweating each week. Make every minute count with these time-saving strategies.
Slice the seconds
If carving out a solid half hour per day for a workout sounds daunting, consider this: Three 10-minute bouts of physical activity will also do your body good. "It doesn’t matter how you slice it, as long as you’re getting 30 minutes throughout your day," says Lauren Shuster, a Toronto-based personal trainer.
This could mean a 10-minute jog first thing in the morning, one at lunch and another after dinner. Not only will you keep your body in calorieburning mode, but you’ll also minimize the boredom that can set in from endless repetition.
Do double duty