Little Habits, Huge Health Payoffs

You have tons of health goals -- but not enough time to make them a reality. Now we'll help you reach every one without devoting your life to getting there. Here, super-speedy ways to improve you health in only minutes a day.
By Holly C. Corbett and Anna Roufos

In Less Than 5 Minutes You Can...

While our hearts are in the right place, our schedules often get in the way of our healthy goals. In fact, according to our exclusive FITNESS survey, up to 97 percent of you aspire to live healthier lives. Unfortunately, you're hitting some serious roadblocks: Forty-two percent say there simply aren't enough hours in the day to make your wellness dreams a reality. Starting right now, we'll show you how to take back your time. With as little as 10 seconds here and 20 minutes there, you can completely transform you life -- mind, body, and spirit.

In 1 Minute You Can...Find Your Focus
Instead of thinking I need to work out, fine-tune your objective to something like I'm going to do my 30-minute DVD workout on Monday before work. "Being detailed forces you to think through the steps necessary to accomplish the goal and makes it harder to find excuses," says Jackie Keller, trainer and author of Body After Baby.

In 2 Minutes You Can...Build a Better Brain
Right-handed? Use your left hand to brush your teeth or vice versa. "This improves brain signaling, which helps prevent age-related memory loss," says Frederic Vagnini, MD, coauthor of Count Down Your Age.

In 3 Minutes You Can...Set a Healthier Table
Use short, fat glasses for water and tall, skinny ones for drinks that are less healthy. Researchers found you'll drink more with the former and less with the latter. Try portion-controlled plates too. Eating off of them, overweight diabetics lost about 6 pounds in as many months, reports the Archives of Internal Medicine. We like the EZ Weight Plate because, well, it's easy. Each has four compartments with measurements inside ($19.95, http://www.ezweightplate.com/).

In 5 Minutes You Can...Get More from Your Doc
Jot down everything you'd like to discuss with her before your appointment. It will improve your chances of leaving satisfied, concluded a recent review of 33 trials.

In Less Than 10 Minutes You Can....

In 6 Minutes You Can...Start Your Day Smarter
Overweight women who ate two eggs for breakfast for eight weeks as part of a low-fat diet lost 65 percent more weight than those who chose bagels. They also experienced an astonishing 83 percent greater reduction in waist size, say researchers at Louisiana State University's Pennington Biomedical Research Center.

In 7 Minutes You Can...Improve Your Zzzs
Do absolutely nothing -- besides silently repeating a relaxing word like "calm" -- for 5 to 10 minutes before hitting the sack. You'll fall asleep faster and sleep better. "Sitting quietly and concentrating on your breath tells your body it's time to slow down," says Jacob Teitelbaum, MD, author of From Fatigued to Fantastic!

In 10 Minutes You Can...Lower Your Blood Pressure
Carve out 10 minutes three or four times a week to relax and slow your breathing to fewer than 10 breaths per minute, and you may lower your blood pressure 5 to 10 points, according to the Journal of Human Hypertension. To help get to that snail's speed, try meditation or the expert-recommended Resperate, a device that uses rhythmic tones to help regulate breathing ($300, http://www.resperate.com/)