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5 Minutes of Movement Could Make All The Difference. A 5 Percenter.

  • Not So Ordinary
  • Jan 18
  • 5 min read

Updated: Feb 20

If someone tells me to do yoga one more time...!

This post is one in a series of how a few small 5% differences can lead to better health.


Movement is good medicine.


Having a chronic condition can take a lot away from us. We may find ourselves living a very sedentary life style. Rest and self care is often what the doctor calls for. But there is injury added to insult. With the managing of symptoms and adjusting of lifestyle that we make to best manage our condition(s), we many find ourselves experiencing new symptoms. Are we developing something new? Is our condition advancing? Or, are we experiencing deconditioning? The questions never end!


What is Deconditioning?

This may surprise you but deconditioning isn't just a matter being out of breath a little quicker when doing something that was once easy. Deconditioning cab be:


Many body systems rely on movement to keep them functioning well, and so deconditioning can affect the:


Shockingly it only takes a week for significant muscle loss to take place and twice as long to regain it. The additional negative effects just start to compound after that. It could do with taking a minute to consider how these results could be effecting your current health condition(s). Perhaps that depression that has been seeping in from the corners could be from deconditioning or made worse by it. Maybe the POTs symptoms are from having spent 2 weeks in bed.


Deconditioning symptoms are the scary reason for finding ways to increase activity into your everyday. Here are the rewarding reasons to make activity apart of your weekly routine. Remember, talk to your doctor first about adding in any additional activity. You want to do this safely and with in your limits.


What's gained from movement?

According to the Mayo Clinic here are some benefits to a regular brisk walk:


  • Maintain a healthy weight and lose body fat

  • Prevent or manage various conditions, including heart disease, stroke, high blood pressure, cancer and type 2 diabetes

  • Improve cardiovascular fitness

  • Strengthen your bones and muscles

  • Improve muscle endurance

  • Increase energy levels

  • Improve your mood, cognition, memory and sleep

  • Improve your balance and coordination

  • Strengthen immune system

  • Reduce stress and tension (Mayo Clinic)


Movement and the brain.

There are many positive effects that activity has on the brain. Mood regulating happy making neurotransmitters like serotonin, dopamine, and norepinephrine are released improving our mood. While endorphins and endocannabinoids reduce pain. Cortisol levels drop improving stress levels. Neuroplasticity is increased which affects mood and memory. Movement itself can interrupt negative thoughts and self talk by providing a distraction till the serotonin kicks in.


Activity grows the brain as shown in this article, "Recent studies have shown that patients who participated in aerobic fitness training had increased brain volumes and increased white and gray matter (11)."(NLM) This is promising for those of us experiencing some cognitive decline either due to our illness or aging. It's not just moods that are elevated with activity but also depression and ADHD symptoms are reported to improve. There are many positives effects on the brain that go beyond the scop of this blog. Feel free to peruse the further reading list down below to learn more.


Movement and the body.

We should all know by now that activity reduces our chances of getting heart disease, stroke and diabetes. It also improves our immune system, builds bone density and helps us in the battle of the bulge. For those of us having trouble sleep it is one more reason to try and get in one walk before bed. Possibly the best reason for being more active is that it increases over all longevity and quality of life.(CDC)


It's never to late to start. You need not have been a fitness buff before you got sick to start gaining the benefits now. Depending on your condition(s), "Exercise could partially reverse chronic conditions and multimorbidity related to low physical activity and can be employed as a preventive approach to improve quality of life." (NHI) Movement is good medicine!


What kind of movement?

You want to get your heart rate up. A brisk walk at a pace where you can still talk but singing would be difficult. An aerobics class at the CGC, swimming, riding a bike are some accessible ways of getting your heart rate up. Here in the Yukon we all have easy access to wooded trails. See this post for learning of the additional health benefits gained by being in nature. The CGC is great in the winter if you find it difficult to move on the snow and ice. Stretching and platies are great to do if you are limited to your home. If you have access to the internet there are many free resources online and finding one to meet your needs should be very possible.



How much?

You need at least 150 minutes of moderate to vigorous physical activity per week and muscle strengthening activities at least twice a week. That means 30 minutes of activity 5 days a week. The 150 minutes can be broken down into much more manageable 10 minute segments if need be. It takes a minimum of 9 weeks for the compounding health benefits to reach their maximum gains.


BUT... if you can't do that don't think that you can't gain the benefits of exercise. I've used the word movement here on purpose. Light household chores count as movement. Running chores downtown or out in the yard counts as movement. I started with 3 minutes of stretching a day. Those days were days I often had less pain. I very slowly moved up to 5 minutes staying with in the bounds of what was safe for me at that time. 5 minutes of activity is way better than none and still offers many of the benefits listed above.


Need proof? Read this study were their finding highlight this... "The 5-minute daily eccentric exercise routine over 4 weeks significantly improved physical fitness and mental health in sedentary individuals, suggesting even a small dose of daily exercise can be beneficial." (NHI) The exercises they used for the study were 10 repetitions each of chair squats, chair reclines, wall push-ups, and heel drops. Now imagine throwing in a 5 minute walk to the end of the block and back. You've got 10 minutes of gains.


5 minutes.

Movement is very potent medicine!




Further reading



Allied Services Integrated Health. Use it or lose it: why deconditioning matters.



Yukon Healthy Living- Exercise Program (For managing a chronic condition). https://yukon.ca/en/health-and-wellness/care-services/register-exercise-services-manage-your-chronic-condition




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