In many ways, September feels like more of a fresh start than January ever does. No matter how old you are, it seems to retain that back-to-school energy – which is why so many of us use this month to get back on track with our health and fitness goals.
Actually getting started, however, is often the hardest part.
It’s something 69-year-old fitness icon Denise Austin has noticed among her own friends.
Speaking on Instagram, the fitness instructor, bestselling author and creator of Fit Over 50 magazine said many of them wanted to move more but were struggling to turn good intentions into action.
‘A lot of my friends are saying, “Denise, I’m lacking some motivation”,’ she shared in a recent video.
‘I wanted to come on here as a girlfriend, just to tell you little things that I do to get me jump-started again,’ she added.
Denise Austin’s five-minute motivation trick
Denise’s solution is refreshingly simple.
‘The first thing is I just tell myself I’m going to do five minutes: five minutes of a walk, five minutes of toning… That way, my five minutes turns to 10 minutes. Mentally, if you just say five minutes, you’ll be able to get it done and then go a little further,’ she explained.
She finished the video with one of her trademark sayings: ‘Remember, if you rest, you’ll rust.’
It’s advice backed up by research. While rest and recovery are essential for health and longevity, long periods of sitting come with genuine health risks – and even brief movement breaks can make a difference.
Even five minutes of movement can benefit your health
A major study involving more than 90,000 people found that spending long, uninterrupted periods sitting was associated with a higher risk of cancer-related death.
After tracking participants’ movement over 12 years, researchers found that every additional hour spent in prolonged sedentary behaviour – sitting or lying down while awake – was associated with a 10% higher risk of dying from cancer.
The encouraging news? Breaking up those long periods of sitting with even light activity, such as household chores or a gentle walk, was linked with a lower risk. Greater benefits were seen with moderate and vigorous activity.
So, if you’re struggling to get back into an exercise routine this September, Denise’s advice is worth remembering: don’t worry about committing to an hour. Start with five minutes.
Chances are, once you’ve begun, you’ll want to keep going.
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Hannah Bradfield is a Senior Health and Fitness Writer for Women’s Health UK. An NCTJ-accredited journalist, Hannah graduated from Loughborough University with a BA in English and Sport Science and an MA in Media and Cultural Analysis. She has been covering sports, health and fitness for the last five years and has created content for outlets including BBC Sport, BBC Sounds, Runner’s World and Stylist. She especially enjoys interviewing those working within the community to improve access to sport, exercise and wellness. Hannah is a 2024 John Schofield Trust Fellow and was also named a 2022 Rising Star in Journalism by The Printing Charity. A keen runner, Hannah was firmly a sprinter growing up (also dabbling in long jump) but has since transitioned to longer-distance running. While 10K is her favoured race distance, she loves running or volunteering at parkrun every Saturday, followed, of course, by pastries. She’s always looking for fun new runs and races to do and brunch spots to try.