The number one reason people cite for not engaging in their health is “time”. The consensus says there just isn’t enough time to be healthy. But what if time isn’t really the problem? What if the real barrier to health is something people can remedy? Would that make health and wellness more achievable?
Infinite and linear, time remains one of the few things that man cannot control. Energy, on the other hand, is within our command. And in many ways, it is the most valuable resource we have. Time creates opportunity. But it is the energy we put into time that brings action and impact. Ultimately, energy is what gives time its real worth. As biological organisms, human beings need to both build energy capacity and recapture energy through sleep, activity, nutrition, emotional connection, rest, etc. Energy recovery is essential to human life and can be achieved on a physical, emotional, mental, or spiritual level.
Interestingly, in a recent landmark study conducted by Wellness & Prevention, Inc., 27 percent of people stated that they are not at all satisfied with their energy levels, and 46 percent more stated that they are only somewhat satisfied. Almost all surveyed (93 percent) stated that they are interested in improving their energy levels throughout their day. These results clearly underscore the notion that energy is in high demand. So is there a way we can make more of it?
Daily Energy Rhythms
In more than 30 years studying elite athletes and world-class performers in business, medicine, and the military, we have learned that energy is a key driver of high performance and engagement. Being in a state of high positive energy enhances one’s engagement. And it has been identified that even if an individual is in a state of high negative energy (e.g., impatient, frustrated, etc.), or in a state of low negative energy (e.g., fatigued, feeling helpless, etc.), he or she can develop the skills to shift energy states into either a high positive state (e.g., feeling challenged, connected, etc.), or a low positive energy state (e.g., feeling calm, relaxed, etc.). This information, tested in a living laboratory of several high-stress arenas, highlights our ability to control energy and reallocate it to different realms (high positive to low positive, etc.)to serve different purposes, underscoring the potential to use energy to enact change, drive performance, and improve engagement.
The Microburst
Microburst is a word coined to relate energy management, where micro represents a small energy investment, and burst characterizes the disproportionately bigger energy return. It is a small (short in duration), intentional activity that results in a disproportionate, higher return. As examined, a microburst can be physical, emotional, mental, or spiritual (i.e., connected to one’s purpose in life). As biologically oscillatory beings, we run on natural rhythms that vacillate (e.g., EEG, EKG, sleep, Circadian Rhythms, etc.). Conversely, the society in which we live demands linearity – a non-stop pace and go-go-go mentality, where we are often over-scheduled and over-committed – with no rest or recovery in sight. The microburst is the antithesis to the linear world in which we live. It breaks this cycle of continuous exertion and allows for recovery, enabling individuals to meet the never-ending, linear pace of today’s society. The concept represents a short period of time that can change an energy level and energy state, with the potential to improve one’s performance and engagement over the course of a day.
The Microburst Effect
There has been growing scientific evidence regarding the benefits of microbursts – particularly those of physical activity. A short bout of physical activity (10 minutes of exercise) has been reported to result in improvements in vigor, fatigue, and total mood. Verburgh and colleagues have reported that short bouts of physical activity lead to a boost in self control and suggest that the resulting increased blood and oxygen flow to the pre-frontal cortex may explain these effects.
There is additional evidence to support this idea. In a case study with one subject, researchers Bollo, et al. found that within seconds of initiating a bicycle pedaling exercise or a running exercise, transient oxygen increased in the brain, went back down, and then rose again until it stabilized within one to two minutes. The authors of this study offer that these findings, this one- to two-minute period of hyper-oxygenation, could be one “mechanism by which exercise achieves myriad cognitive benefits.” This research supports Ratey’s comment that when the body starts moving, the brain “lights up” in almost all areas, and the result is improved cognition, creativity, and problem-solving. Therefore, exercise intervals of one to two minutes, every 30 minutes, may make a difference in performance.
Much research has been devoted to the comparative effects of short bouts to longer bouts of physical activity. Studies show that engaging in short bouts does have additive effect, and is just as strongly associated with several biologic health outcomes, including aerobic fitness and weight loss. This suggests that we may be able to enhance our health by simply engaging in an active lifestyle, despite the time constraints most often cited as a barrier, or the perception of the need for high intensity activities. In fact, Duvivier and colleagues recently reported that reducing inactivity by simply increasing the time spent walking (by 4hrs/day) or standing (by 2hrs/day) is a more effective way to help reduce certain health risks than one hour of physical exercise. The consequences of inactivity are even more striking. In an American Cancer Society study, data over the course of 14 years and 123,000 middle-aged adults were analyzed. The researchers found that the all-cause mortality rates of those who spend six hours a day or more sitting (compared to those who reported three or fewer hours) were 40% higher for women and 20% higher for men. They further found that people who sat for hours had a higher mortality rate – even if they worked out.
The power of microbursts is in their accessibility, versatility, and simplicity. Microbursts can be physical, emotional, mental, and/or spiritual. A microburst of a physical action (e.g., movement or eating a snack), an emotional shift (e.g., changing an impatient attitude to one of positive and supportive), a mental thought change (e.g., going from a perception of a blur in time to one where you are in control of your time with some type of structure or habit you put in place), or spiritual (e.g., where you connect momentarily with something or someone that really matters to you), and can be performed in almost any setting, in a short amount of time. Microbursts support our theory that energy could be an enabler of enhanced health, improved engagement, and higher performance. To get there, we must alter our thinking. We need to resist a linear, non-stop lifestyle and embrace one infused with microbursts of recovery. It’s time to start having microbursts throughout our day. Over time, health and engagement will simply become a side effect.
Jack Groppel is the Vice President of Applied Science & Performance Training, Wellness & Prevention, Inc., a Johnson & Johnson company, and Co-Founder of the Human Performance Institute®. He is an internationally recognized authority and pioneer in the science of human performance, and an expert in fitness and nutrition.