Where Getting Exercise is Concerned, ‘a Little Dab Will Do Ya’
Jodi Davis
| 4 min read
“A little dab will do ya!” I want you to remember this saying today and every tomorrow that follows. In fact, many of you will probably haven’t forgotten this slogan that was part of the lyrics in a song used for commercials for Brylcreem, a hair grooming product used by men several years ago. No, I’m not endorsing this product by any means, but I must admit that really do like the slogan. I think it is a great motivator for those who feel as though they just don’t have time for any exercise whatsoever during their day.
Your New Mantra
This is a slogan that I want you to keep in mind when you start off your day when parking your vehicle in the morning. It will remind you that you have the opportunity to get in adabof physical activity before your work day begins as you utilize that parking space furthest from the entryway of the building. It won’t be a lot of exercise, it’s only a dab — but it will do ya!
Then when it comes time to send those email replies or text messages to co-workers, remember the slogan again: “A little dab will do ya!” Get up and receive another dab of physical activity by walking to their desk and telling them in person instead. Then take the long way back to your desk, making sure to walk briskly and focused.
Okay, now you need to take the elevator to another floor… stop. Don’t even attempt to push that elevator button! You want to incorporate more physical activity into your day, so a great way to do that is to take the stairs instead. Yes, you just read my mind: “A little dab will do ya!” And let me just tell you how much a little dab of stair climbing can do…
Results Prove It
In 2002 researchers did a study in England and Ireland where they asked women to walk up the stairs at work each day for a total of eight weeks. They started with one flight of stairs and gradually worked up to walking 200 steps, which took most of the female employees about two minutes. They walked up these 200 steps six times during their work day, which totaled 12 minutes of stair climbing per workday.
The results were incredible! After just a dab of stair climbing for two months, these women increased their HDL (good) cholesterol levels and improved the ratio of good cholesterol to bad. Experts calculated that in just eight weeks they had decreased the chances of suffering a heart attack by 33 percent. This was done by just a dab of exercise — basically “working out” by walking up the stairs for only 12 minutes a day, and not changing their diet or anything else.
Then another study built on that and looked at a much larger group of individuals. But in this study they had each person do a smaller dab of exercise, walking up only 100 steps six times per day, totaling six minutes of stair climbing for each work day. And guess what? This group had similar benefits to the point that they decreased their risk for cardiovascular disease by about 20 percent.
I’m not saying that these people became hardbodies from these workouts, but the fact is they had a tremendous impact on the participants’ health and their risk for having a heart attack. That’s significant because every year 1.1 million people in the U.S. have a heart attack and about half of those will be fatal. I think this is really great news, because everyone has six to 12 minutes per day to exercise… a dab can be done!
I wondered how to help you in remembering the fabulous slogan, “A little dab will do ya” regarding daily exercise since it’s my goal to help you livea healthier and longer life. Hmmmm… why not share this fun video which includes the song where it all began! So here you go:
Notice that the wordlife is spotlighted in this commercial. It reminds me how significant that word really is; yes, it’s truly the ultimate goal.
How do you work in “A little dab” of exercise?
Photo by tedd okano
