5-Minute Workouts, Healthy Recipes and Sanity Savers!
High-fives all around for easy five-minute workouts and healthy solutions! Credit: Michael Dunn~!
May the Five-Year Birthday celebration continue! This time with another kindergarten/No. 5-obsessed approach to all things healthy living. “I don’t have time” is the top reason many say they have trouble getting and staying healthy, but we know from experience that just five minutes can do wonders. Whether it’s working out, making a healthy meal or simply getting some peace and relaxation—even if you only have five minutes—you can feel better. Here are each of the FBGs favorite five-minute workouts, healthy recipes and sanity savers!
Five-Minute Workouts
If I only had five minutes to work out I’d have to go with the exercises I love-to-hate most in life. I’d do five burpees, 10 push-ups and 15 squats on repeat until the 5 minutes was up. Another good five-minute workout would have to be planks. I’d do planks for 1 minute and then rest for 10 seconds until the timer went off for five. —Tish
Try this five-minute workout on for size: 1 minute jump rope, 1 minute squats, 1 minute front/side/back kicks, 1 minute push-ups, 1 minute plank. Yeowsers! —Kristen
For my five-minute workout, I’d bust out a little bit of Tabata. First, jog in place for 30 seconds to warm up. Next, do 20 seconds on and 10 seconds off of push-ups to side plank, alternating on each side, for a total of four minutes (eight rounds). Then, cool down by marching in place for another 30 seconds! —Jenn
Straight cardio is easy if you’ve got five minutes. I get my muscles loose with a quick walking warm-up and then sprint intervals, trying to hold out each sprint for 30 seconds before a quick recovery rest. Usually my daughter lets me know when the break is over by yelling “Go faster again!” from her stroller. —Erin
Five-Minute Healthy Recipes
If I only had five minutes to make a meal, I’d probably go with my take on the tuna nicoise salad. I get some good greens, tomatoes, canned tuna, green beans, beets, my own salad dressing (which consists of mixing olive oil, balsamic vinaigrette, lemon, garlic and basil together) and stir and serve. —Tish
With just three minutes, I’d make a smoothie, obvs. Take a big scoop of plain Greek yogurt, vanilla almond milk (more for a thinner smoothie, less for a thicker one), handful of frozen banana slices, big tablespoon of peanut or almond butter, vanilla protein powder, chia seeds, lots of kale (frozen or fresh), and sprinkle liberally with cinnamon and blend. Easily takes just 5 minutes, even including cleanup! —Kristen
I recently shared this one with HuffPost Healthy Living (slide two), but it bears repeating here because it’s quick, protein-rich and tasty! All you do is take whatever veggies you have in the fridge (I like cabbage, carrots, peppers, kale, broccoli) and sautée them in a little coconut oil. Then scramble two eggs and a couple of egg whites in the pan until cooked and then top with sriracha if you like the spicy stuff, like I do. Paired with a piece of fruit, it’s a fab breakfast, lunch or even large snack. And, I really do make it ALL THE TIME. —Jenn
When I need a speedy lunch, I put together a super-fast version of the Big-Ass Salad that I call my Chicken Sandwich Salad. I throw in some bagged lettuce, rotisserie chicken, avocado, cherry tomatoes, some black beans, a little shredded cheddar cheese and a few croutons. I think it earned its name mostly because I toss it with a bit of honey mustard dressing. —Erin
Five-Minute Sanity Savers
My favorite five-minute sanity saver is cleaning. I don’t know what it is about stepping away from the computer and making a bed, getting some quick dusting in and putting the dishes away that relaxes me and helps me to stop going around in creative circles, but it works every time. —Tish
Walking my dogs down to get the mail. I try to pick a point during my day when I feel chained to the computer, and just stepping away for a few minutes to do that super-fast errand really helps my day shape up. —Kristen
Normally I’d say playing with or walking my dog, but since Kristen already stole that one (great minds think alike!), I’d say taking a five-minute break to just sit, breathe and be is glorious. Standing up and looking out the window or stepping outside for a few moments of quiet and deep breathing feels great. No phone, no social media. We rarely experience the full moment, so cut the distractions, take a moment away from your to-do list and just look around at all that’s awesomely amazing around you. —Jenn
When I have a few spare minutes, I grab my handy head-whisk head massager for an awesome scalp rub. It just takes a few minutes and it’s instant zen. —Erin
What would be your favorite five-minute workout, healthy recipe or sanity saver? We’d love to try ’em! —The FBGs