There are 525,600 minutes in a Year. Make them Count in 2020!
There are 525,600 minutes in a Year. Make them Count in 2020!
There are 525,600 minutes in a Year. Make them Count in 2020!
There are a lot of things you can do in 15 minutes (or less):
Wash and dry the dishes, clear your inbox, fold a full load of laundry, clean a bathroom, or even match up all your odd socks. All of which are fairly day-to-day, valuable tasks, but… why not try something new with your next free 15?
Why not go the whole mile in your next spare 15 minutes. Literally. The average person can run/jog a mile in anything from 8 – 15 minutes, and, according to doctors, the average calorie burn for 1 mile of running or walking is approximately 100! Not bad for a quarter of an hour’s work, and the perfect way to earn yourself a healthy snack.
Walking and slow jogging are both also excellent fat burning exercises. The fat burning zone is the zone that lies at 60 to 70 percent of your maximum heart rate (a rough guide to working out your maximum heart rate is 220 minus your age, so for example an average 40 year old would have a maximum heart rate of 180) . In this zone, 85 percent of your calories burned are fats, while just 5 percent are proteins, and 10 percent are carbohydrates.
That is not the only benefit! Power-walking has been found to increase productivity, focus, and attention span (in both adults and children). A meta analysis of over 50 studies (covering a 60 year period) clearly indicated that physical activity has a significant and positive effect on children’s achievement and cognitive outcomes, with aerobic exercise having the greatest effect (Alicia L. Fedewa & Soyeon Ahn, 2011). Another study by Tine & Butler (2012), found that just a 12 minute session of aerobic activity notably improved selective attention of children from all different walks of life.
The benefits of getting active, also seems to play a part in BIG business too. ‘Walking meetings’ have been utilised by world leading innovators, such as Steve Jobs and Mark Zuckerberg, to help them realise their creative potential (Frisch, 2016).
The Department of Health recommends that children (between 5-18) spend at least 60 minutes per day engaged in ‘moderate to vigorous physical activity’, while the recommendation for adults is 150 mins of moderate (or 75 mins vigorous) activity per week. That might sound like a lot, but physical activity is easier to come by than you’d think. Brisk walking – such as a walk (even part of the way) to school – constitutes moderate activity, while taking the stairs a few times a day could tick off a few minutes of vigorous movement for the week. You can also have a family games, or family activity day/night, where you go for a walk, or to a park, for lunch together, or even make a game of things by including some active video games into your family’s screen time. This can be a great way to bond, and spend some quality time together, with the bonus of getting fit while you do it.
Research, such as, Wilson & Brookfield (2009), has shown that interest, enjoyment, and adherence, to physical activity can all be improved by goal setting, and that exercising as part of a group (such as with your family, or a local community initiative) can also help with motivation and engagement.
Here at The Running Bee Foundation, our passion is getting everyone active, and, as part of our commitment to inclusive activity, and promoting healthy, active, lifestyles, we have launched a BRAND NEW initiative, MyFirst™ Mile, for 2020!
MyFirst™ Mile events will be taking place at The Running Bee Foundation’s 10k running events; including the newly announced Knowsley 10k at Knowsley Safari on 15th March, as well as at the famous Tour of Tameside Running Festival. YOUR MyFirst™ Mile event could be your perfect goal, and give you the target you need, to help you on your journey to becoming a happier, healthier, and more active YOU! All finishers of a MyFirst™ Mile event will receive a commemorative medal and e-certificate of achievement. This is a challenge to inspire the whole family to get active and make a difference to their entire lives – and it can take less than just 15 minutes!
All profits from MyFirst™ Mile entries will be donated to communities in the areas in which The Running Bee Foundation’s events take place. This is to help create and improve health and wellbeing initiatives in the area.
Let us know about YOUR first mile experience, or how you made the most out of 15 minutes, by tweeting @TheRunningBee or emailing info@runningbeefoundation.co.uk!
#BeeActiveBeeHealthyBeeHappy with The Running Bee in 2020!