Inner Realm: The four minutes that may redeem your mind, body and soul

Couch to 5,000 steps, couch to four-minute exercise; these are genuinely achievable goals and they may just be the saviours of your mind, body and soul

Feeling lazy? Heavy? Or just sloppy? You desperately want to change yourself, feel energetic — but cannot spare 45 minutes for a workout. The result? You are where you are.

Recent studies have shown that you don’t have to run very much, or very fast, in order to get major health benefits. (iStockphoto)

There is, however, great news from science.

A study, in the Journal of the American College of Cardiology, concluded that, “Running, even 5 to 10 min/day and at slow speeds <6 miles/hr, is associated with markedly reduced risks of death from all causes and cardiovascular disease.”

In fact, recent studies have shown that you don’t have to run very much, or very fast, in order to get major health benefits.

Don’t like to run? Science has some good news for you as well.

In August 2023, a study discovered that walking fairly short distances was associated with reduced mortality risk.

Two-minute workouts, four-minute workouts, six-minute workouts — all have been shown to have immense benefits. But running and walking, in particular seem intricately linked to questions of endurance, of grit, commitment and even moral rectitude.

Before venturing more into science, it seems pertinent to explore the spiritual bases of exercise. The Bible says

“So, I do not run aimlessly; I do not box as one beating the air. But I discipline my body and keep it under control, lest after preaching to others I myself should be disqualified.” 1 Corinthians 9:26-27.

One of the interpretations is that the body being the temple of the Divine should not only remain undefiled, but also be healthy and strong. One of the limbs to strength is exercise (Joyful health).

In the Bhagavad Gita, Lord Krishna advises Arjuna on all aspects of life, including exercise by emphatically insisting on maintenance of physical health

through activity and exercise. He clearly states that one cannot even maintain his body without physical exercise.

Niyatam kuru karmatwam, karmajayo hrukarmanaha 3:8

(“Desisting from action, you cannot even maintain your body”)

Coming back to science, Dr James H. O’Keefe, the director of preventive cardiology at St Luke’s Mid America Heart Institute in Kansas City has, in the last 10 years published multiple studies on exercise (particularly running) for health and longevity. He has found that exercise, especially running and walking, even in short bursts (e.g 4 minutes) and at gentle pace provides great health benefits.

Numerous long-term studies — some involving thousands of participants — have shown that running (even for a very short time) benefits people physically and mentally. Research has also found that runners tend to live longer and have a lower risk of cardiovascular disease and cancer than non runners.

Another 15-year study on over 55,000 Americans ages 18 to 100 found that running just five to 10 minutes per day at a slow pace (under six miles per hour) was associated with “markedly reduced risks” for all causes of death. It was also enough to extend a person’s life by several years.

Dr Lisa Chow, professor of medicine at University of Minnesota has suggested that the physiological benefits of running may be attributable to a group of molecules known as Exerkines. The name stems from the fact that several organs of the body release these molecules in response to exercise.

Just like our scriptures have said, exercise has shown to generate a lot of exerkines which reduce harmful inflammation and help in the generation of new blood vessels and the regeneration of cellular mitochondria. Dr. Chow further adds that research has already found that brief bouts of vigorous exercise such as 4 minute runs are enough to trigger some of these exerkine-related benefits.

Generally, science has been recommending that a person should have at least 2.5 hours of moderate exercise in a week. This is supposed to lower the risk of depression and mental illnesses by 25%. Recent studies have discovered that people who could do only 75 minutes of exercise in a week. also tended to have better mental health and far less depression.

Karmel Choi, a psychologist at Massachusetts General Hospital who has investigated the relationship between exercise and depression says that even a short exercise or a short run, twice a week is enough to alleviate at least some depression.

One of the reasons for such amazing benefits of short exercise bursts is the almost instant generation of endorphins in the body. Endorphins are chemicals (hormones) released in the body during times of pain, stress and in pleasurable activities like exercise. They attach to your brain’s reward centres (opioid receptors) and carry signals across the nervous system, relieving pain, reducing stress and improving our sense of well-being.

“The growing consensus in the field is that the benefits of running start to accrue within minutes,” said Dr Rajesh Vedanthan, an associate professor of population health at New York University’s Grossman School of Medicine who has studied the relationship between running and longevity.

Science has shown that even actions like carrying your luggage or groceries even for short distances sparks the process of recovery and growth in the body. Start by taking the stairs — not running, but on your own terms. Take a 4-minute workout on a stationary or real bicycle — thrice a day. Run in gentle spurts of 4 minutes—thrice a day. Try walking only 3,000 steps a day and that too in bouts of 1000 steps only. These will change your lives.

One of the walkers who had been very sedentary, once wrote

“I trotted around the park for a cool 20 minutes, my gait so languid that I nearly tripped over a root. I progressed so slowly that I was able to make prolonged eye contact with a woman sitting on a bench holding a baby. “Why are you running at this undistinguished pace?” her gaze seemed to ask. “Why can’t she see that I’m effectively reducing my mortality risk?” I asked myself, inanely.” (New York Times).

Coming back to spirituality, Guru Angad Dev ji, the second Guru of Sikhs said, “One has to be powerful outside to remain powerful inside because a strong soul abides in a strong body.”

He created special wrestling arenas or “mal-akharas”, where without discrimination, he encouraged everyone to exercise after the morning prayers.

Therefore, couch to 5,000 steps, couch to four-minute exercise; these are genuinely achievable goals and they may just be the saviours of your mind, body and soul.

(The writer is a former principal chief commissioner Income Tax. The views expressed are his own.)