257: The 5-Minute Habit That Boosts Energy, Focus, and Health | Manoush Zomorodi, Host of NPR’s TED Radio Hour

Manoush Zomorodi is an award-winning journalist, bestselling author, and host of NPR's TED Radio Hour. Her Body Electric project, a groundbreaking collaboration between NPR and Columbia University Medical Center involving over 20,000 participants, represents one of the largest public health studies of its kind. She’s also the author of the book, Bored and Brilliant, and her TED talk about the attention economy has more than 6 million views. 

In this episode we discuss the following:

• Sitting for extended periods is like kinking a garden hose, which reduces blood flow, oxygen, and glucose regulation. But taking regular five minute breaks helps us think more clearly and feel more energized.
• We can make small structural changes to encourage movement breaks by scheduling a meeting for 55 minutes rather than an hour.
• The best part about regular movement breaks is that it isn’t a tradeoff—it’s a win-win where small changes improve our health, mood, and productivity.