Take a Break: 5 Minute Wellness Plan

Some days start off with a bang and others start nice and leisurely.  One morning it is starting the day with a nice workout, great breakfast, plus a moment to yourself before you head out the door.  Other days, you are knee deep in work before you even finish your first cup of happiness (coffee, juice or tea) and before you know it, it is already mid-afternoon.  Whew - I am already tired just thinking about those types of days.  When that happens, we can all use a quick reset. 

It does not need to be a complete overhaul.  It can be as simple as a 5 minute plan for you to take a breath, hydrate, step away from the screen and reconnect to feel more like yourself again.  Just a few minutes you can make your own. 

Why 5 minutes can be a good place to start

It's so easy to skip ourselves over when we are super busy.  We may have a great plan for ourselves during the day, and somehow our "me time" ends up at the bottom of the list. Time is the most valuable commodity we have and we must spend it wisely. And as noted before, you are your most important investment.  

Taking time out of a busy day for self-care is a good investment in your wellbeing.  It doesn't need to be an overall ambitious routine, it can be as simple as 5 minutes. 

Now, we know that 5 minutes is not going to transform your wellbeing overnight. But a short pause can give you the opportunity to check in with yourself. This 5 minute wellness plan can be at any time of the day that is best for you.  It can be a great start to the day, a mid-afternoon reset or an evening wind-down. 

The 5 minute wellness routine

Think of this as a collection of simple ideas rather than a strict routine. Try them in order, adapt them to your day or choose the one that feels most useful right now.

Minute 1: Start with a glass of water Before starting off with your coffee or responding to messages, have a glass of water. Hydration is easy to overlook when busy. Keep a bottle of water handy on your desk, in your bag and on your nightstand, so it's an easy part of your routine.

Minute 2: Get up and move If sitting at a desk for hours at a time, it is very important to get up and move.   Simple movement is all that is required.  No special equipment or gym clothes needed. Walk around the room, roll your shoulders, stretch from head to toe. Once you sit down again, you can also add ankle circles, leg lifts or seated torso twists. Even a short change of position can offer relief to a desk-bound day to help you feel less glued to your desk.

Minute 3: Take a breather It's easy to get caught up and move from one thing to the next without  stopping for a moment.  Use this minute to step away from the phone, inbox or whatever else is keeping you seated.    Close your eyes or look out a window and breathe in deeply for a count of 7, hold for 7 and exhale for 7.  Repeat 2 more times.  It may not clear your mind completely or relax you 100%, but it's a short pause before moving on to what's next.

Minute 4: Check in with yourself Before getting back to it, ask yourself: what do you need right now?  Did you put off breakfast/lunch today?  Opt for a quick snack if you can't take the full time for a nutritious meal. Need a little energy boost, take a serving of Collagen Superdose®.

Minute 5: Make it your own Use this final minute for something that feels right for you. Whether it be a quick check in with your work bestie, making plans for dinner, writing down a work goal or getting some fresh air, open a window or step outside.  Remember, this is about you, so take this last minute to do what makes you feel happy and refreshed.

You don’t need to squeeze every healthy habit into five minutes. Choose something manageable that fits naturally into your day, and let that be enough.

The trick to making small habits work

Some things are just on autopilot. Brushing teeth, making coffee, checking your calendar for the day.  This is where habit stacking comes in. 

It's simple really - attaching a new habit to something you already do. Simply add it to a part of your day: 

• After making your morning coffee - drink your glass of water while you wait. 
• Before opening your laptop - stretch, breathe and move. 
• After wrapping up meeting  - get up from your desk and walk around for a minute.  Do 10 calf raises to get the blood moving. 
• While preparing breakfast  - think about what you will need for  a balanced lunch.
• Alongside an existing daily ritual - take your COLLAGEN SUPERDOSE® serving

Choose a habit that fits in your day naturally. If it doesn't feel right or you forget it, try something else.  It needs to be a habit that will easily fit into your existing routine.

What if you do not have 5 minutes? 

Start with one.

Drink water before your next meeting. Stand up and move around between tasks.  Set a timer every hour to get up and move around for 1 minute. Step outside for a minute instead of the doomscrolling on your phone.

Five minutes, just for you

Wellness does not need to be performative to work well for you. Sometimes it just comes down to having it be drinking a glass of water or tea, the stretching away from your desk or sofa, a few breaths or a moment of silence to think about what you need. 

It should be manageable, so if the 5 minute wellness plan needs to be 2 or 3 minutes to start, that's OK.  It needs to work for you and your schedule. Looking after yourself is not about getting everything in and done, it's about doing the little things that make you feel good to continue on with your day. 

You are your most important investment.