The Scientific 7-Minute Workout

For a greater challenge, see “The Advanced 7-Minute Workout.” And download our new, free 7-Minute Workout App for your phone, tablet or other device.

[In need of an energy boost, quickly? Really, Really Short Workouts]

Think you’re too busy to work out? We have the workout for you. Exercise science is a fine and intellectually fascinating thing. But sometimes you just want someone to lay out guidelines for how to put the newest fitness research into practice.

An article in the May-June issue of the American College of Sports Medicine’s Health & Fitness Journal does just that. In 12 exercises deploying only body weight, a chair and a wall, it fulfills the latest mandates for high-intensity effort, which essentially combines a long run and a visit to the weight room into about seven minutes of steady discomfort — all of it based on science.

“There’s very good evidence” that high-intensity interval training provides “many of the fitness benefits of prolonged endurance training but in much less time,” says Chris Jordan, the director of exercise physiology at the Human Performance Institute in Orlando, Fla., and co-author of the new article.

Work by scientists at McMaster University in Hamilton, Ontario, and other institutions shows, for instance, that even a few minutes of training at an intensity approaching your maximum capacity produces molecular changes within muscles comparable to those of several hours of running or bike riding.

Interval training, though, requires intervals; the extremely intense activity must be intermingled with brief periods of recovery. In the program outlined by Mr. Jordan and his colleagues, this recovery is provided in part by a 10-second rest between exercises. But even more, he says, it’s accomplished by alternating an exercise that emphasizes the large muscles in the upper body with those in the lower body. During the intermezzo, the unexercised muscles have a moment to, metaphorically, catch their breath, which makes the order of the exercises important.

The exercises should be performed in rapid succession, allowing 30 seconds for each, while, throughout, the intensity hovers at about an 8 on a discomfort scale of 1 to 10, Mr. Jordan says. Those seven minutes should be, in a word, unpleasant. The upside is, after seven minutes, you’re done.

This article originally appeared on well.blogs.nytimes.com and was written by GRETCHEN REYNOLDS

Ben Wiseman

Functional Movement Assessment and Corrections

“The treatment has long term benefits as Robbie explores the reason for the pain. By becoming aware of this you can change what you are doing…”

How faulty movement patterns could be the cause of your injury.

The evidence shows that the biggest predisposing factor of non-traumatic injury during sport is previous injury. It used to be thought that this was because the previous injury created a weak area that is prone to re-injury. However, recent research has discovered that this is probably too simple an explanation. In fact injury can create faulty movement patterns that in turn create weak or overused areas and it is these areas that are prone to future injury. Also, there are many other mechanisms that can cause faulty movement patterns that are equally important. But it is not that important to know what these past events are because we can now measure your movement patterns to see where your faults are and create a treatment regime to resolve them. Once you have restored normal movement patterns you are less likely to become injured.

Using a well-researched screening assessment, functional movement, or lack of, can be graded. Depending on what the screen has shown a series of manual techniques and corrective exercises can be used to reduce the imbalances and restore normal functional movement. This will reduce your likelihood of non-contact injury in the future. Because the system is graded your progress can be monitored making your improvements visible and obvious.

What is Functional Movement?

In simple terms functional movement is how we move in the real world, not just the treatment room. The philosophy behind functional movement follows the same concept as the standard (manual) osteopathic philosophy. To create efficient movement, the whole body must be functioning properly. When the body is considered as a chain of muscles and joints rather than a set of individual joints working alone, any weakness or restriction or tension in the chain will cause an imbalance and weaken the entire chain. Over time imbalance increases the potential for weak areas to become irritated or injured and tense areas to become over used or strained.

How do we test for faulty functional movement patterns?

Proper functional movement occurs in co-ordinated patterns, which can be assessed and corrected. Over the past few years much research has been put into how to test for potential future injury. Most has been done in the USA and Australia and a few screening tests have been devised. The best one I have come across is called the “Functional Movement Screen”, developed by a group of physical therapists in Virginia, USA. It is a series of 7 basic movements that are fundamental to normal functional movement. By subjecting the body to these movements any areas of weakness, stiffness or asymmetry and therefore potential for injury are highlighted.

How can we fix these faults?

These dysfunctional areas and asymmetries can be corrected. Physical treatment and corrective exercises can loosen restricted and re-train weak or unstable patterns (not isolated areas) to function in the correct manner. Initially it is important to release off any tight muscles or restricted joints. Once this has been done weak muscles can be retrained to move in the correct, co-ordinated patterns using specialised exercises, which may include assisted movements or resisted movements that can be performed in the clinic or at home.

Why do functional movement patterns become faulty?

In infanthood, we are all programmed and develop to move the same way. Over our lifetime repetitive movements, isolated static postures and over training certain areas create changes in the way in which we move. We learn to use some areas of our body more than others. When this happens we pull ourselves out of symmetrical alignment. Previous pain caused by injury or inflammation will cause a temporary change in the way in which we move. We guard away from the pain. Sometimes, once the pain has resolved, the changed movement pattern persists. All these changes put unnecessary stress on other, weaker areas, which become prone to injury.

Think of it like a car that has a slightly misaligned axle. The tyres will wear down quickly on one side and lead to weakening and potential puncturing of the tyre. It is no use in just replacing the tyre because it will wear down again. The tracking (alignment) needs to be repaired. Similarly this is why a problematic hamstring keeps straining even though it has fully healed. It is similar to replacing the tyre with a brand new one. Eventually the hamstring will go again. The cause of the strain is the faulty way in which the hamstring is functioning. If this is resolved the likelihood is it will not strain again

This article originally appeared on harmonicosteopathy.com

5 Signs You Need a Break + 5 Things to Do About It

Work. Friends. Projects. Errands. Family. Health. Repeat. Life has put a lot on our plates, and it seems to be adding more. It is easy to get caught up in this plight of modern life, but you do not have to. Here are five things that I most typically notice and hear as signs of needing a break, and five ways to remedy them.

Signs It’s Time for a Break

1. You dread the alarm clock. Your alarm clock goes off, no matter the hour or day, and all you want is to stay crawled up in bed.

2. Your fuse is short. No matter what someone says, it is not the right thing. You are constantly triggered for arguably no real reason.

3. You avoid what you know you like. You start making excuses for not going to yoga - to that class you love - or a friend’s house you always enjoy, claiming stress and tiredness.

4. Your diet starts to waver. You start eating foods you know make you feel bad, and other foods you simply know are bad, saying, “just today.”

5. You simply do not care. You start to spend more time surfing the web at work, flipping through channels at home, ignoring messages and invites from friends, and pretending your family does not exist, all in the name of “rest” and silence.

Ways to Give Yourself a Break

1. Get offline. Turn the internet off two hours before bed, and turn your handheld devices off for at least eight hours a day. Let your mind rest, and spare it the endless stream of often unnecessary information. (This one is hard, I know.)

2. Take a local adventure. Take yourself  somewhere new or unfrequented in your city; think neighborhood walk, proper restaurant diner, bikini picnic in the park, or museum wandering. Simply experiencing something new - with different people, air, and vibe - will refresh your mind and body.

3. Plan an escape. Plan a day, week, or weekend holiday within the next six months; anything outside of and away from your day-to-day routine. Something to look forward to will add a skip to your daily step.

4. Laugh. There is really no better remedy. Cures you from the inside out.

5. Do something crazy. Go to a seemingly ridiculous class, plan a one-day escape to the beach, go out for a night on the town, or do something you think you never have time to do, or is simply nuts. The thrill will rejuvenate you.

This article originally appeared on mindbodygreen.com and was written by Lauren Imparato

7 Very Important Reasons To Take A Nap Right Now

Sleep is very, very good. And while it’s essential to get a solid seven to nine hours per night, when you occasionally miss the mark, a nap can help a great deal. Hey, it’s still a good idea even if you do get enough sleep.

There’s really no excuse not to nap — especially when there are so many health benefits. Curious what those perks are? Here are seven reasons why you should take a snooze right now:

1. It’ll increase your patience

Feeling frustrated? According to researchers at the University of Michigan, who published a study in the journal Personality and Individual Differences, you should probably take a nap. Participants were asked to complete a particularly frustrating task — drawing geometric designs on a computer screen. Those who took an hour-long nap before the exercise were able to draw for 90 seconds, compared to a control group who watched a nature documentary instead of napping. They gave up after about 45 seconds.

2. You’ll be more alert

Whether you’re on a long drive or trying to get through a difficult task at work, napping is a great way to increase alertness if you’re feeling foggy. A NASA study found that after napping for forty minutes pilots were more alert, and a smaller study found that after just ten minutes participants felt more alert.

3. Just thinking about napping can lower your blood pressure

While an actual nap is certainly beneficial, so is the time before you take one. One British study found that participants’ blood pressure dropped before they even fell asleep — just anticipating the nap they were about to take was enough.

4. It helps you remember more

A study conducted by researchers in Germany found that taking an hourlong nap can dramatically improve our ability to remember information. For the study, participants were asked to remember specific words and pairs. Then, half the participants watched a DVD while the other half napped. When asked about their memory of the words, the nap group performed five times as well as the DVD group.

5. It can improve creativity

If you haven’t been feeling too imaginative lately, it’s probably time to hit the hay. A study conducted by psychiatrist Sara Mednick out of the University of California, San Diego, found that people who take REM naps ― the deep sleep state where you’re dreaming ― were more creative when it came to problem solving than non-REM nappers.

6. Regular naps may help prevent heart disease

One study of 23,000 Greek adults found that people who took midday naps — a.k.a. “siestas” — were over thirty percent less likely to die of heart disease, according to The Washington Post.

“Napping may help deal with the stress of daily living,” Michael Twery of the National Heart Lung and Blood Institute said, according to the Washington Post. “Another possibility is that it is part of the normal biological rhythm of daily living. The biological clock that drives sleep and wakefulness has two cycles each day, and one of them dips usually in the early afternoon. It’s possible that not engaging in napping for some people might disrupt these processes.”

7. Taking a 10-minute rest is beneficial, too

Don’t think you can actually fall asleep? It may not matter all that much. A 2007 study, which took a look at the effects of napping versus resting, found that simply lying down for 10 minutes improved mood regardless of whether or not the person fell asleep.

What are you waiting for? Get snoozing and dream on!

This article originally appeared on huffingtonpost.com.au and was wirtten by Leigh Weingus