Derval O'Rourke: Start your day right with this overnight oats recipe 

The perfect breakfast for when you are tight on time 

You can top your oats with the nuts and agave syrup.

January is one of my favourite times of the year. I genuinely enjoy planning out the year ahead. But it is also a time when we are bombarded with marketing that pushes us towards ‘new year, new you’. 

I completely understand the desire to make changes to feel better, but the reality is that 80% to 90% of our January goals get forgotten about by February. In saying that, I believe there is a happy medium between unrealistic goals and putting new structures in place to make positive changes. This week I’ll chat about why just 21 minutes could help you towards better health outcomes.

When you are tight on time it’s tempting to think that there is no point in doing any exercise at all. Well I’m here to tell you that even 20 minutes a day is helpful. Let’s start with the best reasons why 20 minutes of exercise a day will help you:

1 - Energy Boost

The reality of most of our working days is that we are sitting: this leads to us feeling tired and sluggish. Just 20 minutes of exercise is energising. Getting up and getting the blood flowing will boost your energy and your mental clarity. This will lead towards more efficiency at work. Think about the 20 minutes’ movement as a supercharger for you to get through that important project on your desk.

2 - Reduce Stress

Stress is a reality of life but too much stress isn’t good for us. This leads to our bodies releasing cortisol which can lead to blood sugar being elevated, reduced productivity, issues with sleeping and many more problems. Less cortisol is important for us being healthy and happy: 20 minutes of exercise will contribute towards this.

Derval O'Rourke: No matter what your current fitness level is — you have the ability to start, and any exercise is more beneficial than none

3 - It all adds up

The World Health Organization suggests 150 minutes of exercise per week. If you break it down, that is 21 minutes per day. So, it might seem like getting your heart pumping and your body moving for 20 minutes isn’t worthwhile in fact it is massively beneficial towards your weekly exercise recommendations.

Now that you know the best reasons for 20 — or 21 — minutes of exercise, let’s look at some ideas of how best to get those minutes:

1 - Moderate intensity aerobic exercise

This is the base level that you should be aiming at, particularly if you are doing minimal exercise currently. Examples of this are brisk walking or riding a bike. Getting snippets of this type of exercise is important daily. Think about how your day is laid out and try to find ways to get this in.

2 - Heart rate and Full body

If you can add in sessions that raise your heart rate and include full body movement two to three times per week this is really helpful. Consider as many repetitions or rounds as possible in a set amount of time. A good layout would be a warm up with five exercises followed by 15 minutes with four exercises and doing 10 repetitions of each: for example squats, sliders, push-ups and crab walks.

3 - Resistance training

Research suggests that adding in resistance training a couple of times a week has huge benefits particularly for bones and preserving muscle mass. Learning a 20-minute resistance exercise circuit that you can do safely would be really beneficial. If you don’t know where to start with resistance training, consider booking a couple of appointments with a personal trainer and ask them to teach you.

No matter what your current fitness level is — even if it is non-existent — you have the ability to start, and any exercise is more beneficial than none.

Consider these 20 minute chunks an investment in your health pension.

Overnight Oats

recipe by:Derval O'Rourke

Start your day right with overnight oats.

Servings

1

Preparation Time

 2 mins

Total Time

 2 mins

Course

 Main

Ingredients

• 240ml milk (Vegan alternative: dairy free milk)

• 60g porridge oats

• 30g frozen raspberries

• 1 tbsp chia seeds

• 1 tbsp nuts (pecans work well)

• 1 tsp agave syrup

Method

1. Combine the milk, oats, raspberries and chia seeds in a large bowl.

2. Transfer the mixture to a serving bowl.

3. Cover and leave to soak overnight in the fridge.

4. Next morning, top with the nuts and agave syrup and serve.