How much can you learn in 12 seconds?
According to recent studies, that’s how long content has to engage millennials — and that timeframe drops to an even lower 8 seconds for Gen Xers.
While ever-shortening attention spans are a good reason to take time to unplug, today we’re going to make fast facts work for us.
Here is some bite-sized information to boost your health IQ in seconds.
10 tips to help you instantly improve your health
1. Blot — don’t rub — sweat off your face while exercising.
Rubbing your face, chest or back with a towel can irritate the skin and make it more susceptible to breakouts.
2. When you sit, touch your bottom to the back of your chair.
It’s the best way to ensure proper posture and lumbar support, especially if you’re seated at a desk for long periods of time. For extra credit, keep both feet flat on the floor.
Posture 101: good posture, bad posture + 5 tips to improve yours
3. Keep taking your medications.
It’s tempting to stop taking medication once you feel better, but that can be dangerous, especially when it comes to chronic or mental health conditions.
6 tips for taking your medication (and why it matters)
4. Breathe your way to less “bad” body fat.
Cutting down on stress has been proven to help control damaging visceral fat. Breathing exercises are a fast, free way to do it.
3 breathing exercises to help you instantly de-stress
5. Eat less protein in favor of more produce.
There’s a misconception that people need a lot of protein to stay healthy, but the average adult only needs 0.36 grams of protein per pound. That means a 220-pound man needs just 80 grams of protein per day — or the amount in 2 cups of cooked chicken.
4 tips for plant-based eating — and 20 plant-based proteins to try
6. If you work on screens, adopt the 20-20-20 rule.
Look away from your screen every 20 minutes, at something 20 feet away for at least 20 seconds. This will limit retina damage, eye strain and exposure to blue light, which can impact your sleep cycle.
Screens, blue light and eye strain: what you need to know
7. Mind your hand health.
The appearance of your fingers, skin and nails can hold the key to unseen health issues. The condition of your hands can tip you off to arthritis, carpal tunnel syndrome, anemia or thyroid issues.
What your fingers, skin and nails can tell you about your health
8. Break your day into 15-minute intervals.
Most people default to 30 minutes for meetings or tasks, but that’s likely longer than you need. Many successful business people conduct meetings in as little as 5 minutes.
Are ‘to-do’ lists good for your health? 5 ways to make them work
9. Buy frozen produce instead of canned.
Frozen produce is flash-frozen at its peak freshness, so it contains roughly the same nutrients of fresh fruits and vegetables, and it typically has less sodium and sugar than canned varieties.
The truth about food trends: organic, fresh vs. frozen, buying local & more
10. Stand on one leg.
Whenever you have down time, try standing on one leg for 30 seconds to a minute. It’s a simple way to build core strength, which can improve your balance, strength and posture.
What are core muscles? And 5 easy exercises to strengthen them
Get more information about specific health terms, topics and conditions to better manage your health on bcbst.com. BlueCross BlueShield of Tennessee members can access wellness-related discounts on fitness products, gym memberships, healthy eating and more through Blue365®. BCBST members can also find tools and resources to help improve health and well-being by logging into BlueAccess and going to the Managing Your Health tab.