LOOKING at the clock may not seem romantic, but there is a perfect amount of time for everything in life, including sex.
Yesterday we revealed that a Cambridge University study found seven hours of sleep to be the ideal amount needed to feel energized and ready for the next day.
But how much time should we spend on other tasks, like exercising and eating?
Hayley Minn reveals the schedule to follow if you want to do everything right by the clock.
Go on vacation: 8 days
We all yearn for an endless vacation, but apparently that would be far from perfect.
A study from the University of Tampere, in Finland, suggests that eight days is ideal to achieve maximum relaxation and happiness away from everyday life, without getting bored or homesick.
Exercise: 21 minutes
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MOTIVATING YOURSELF to get some exercise isn’t always easy, but experts at Public Health England recommend that you get at least 150 minutes a week.
A daily workout should add up to 21 minutes, and this can be anything from a simple walk to a HIIT (high-intensity interval training) workout at the gym.
Lunch: 2 hours
7
WORKERS here are entitled to an uninterrupted 20-minute break during their shift, if their shift exceeds six hours per day.
While some lucky people are given up to an hour, it still apparently isn’t enough.
Neuroscience researcher Josh Davis says that the human brain works in short bursts of highly effective performance, and longer rest helps that process.
He said: “After a break, you get a period of great mental energy. You can have two amazing hours of work.”
Watch a movie: two hours
HOLLYWOOD movies seem to drag on, with The Batman, No Time To Die and Dune lasting almost three hours, leaving us desperate to go to the bathroom.
But YouGov research reveals that 55 per cent of us think the ideal length of a movie is two hours, with the most popular running time being between an hour and a half and two hours.
The average duration of the film is 131 minutes.
Take a bath: 10 minutes
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It’s extremely easy to slip into the bathroom and stay there until you’re all sweaty. . . and ready for another bath.
However, a study published in the medical journal Sleep Medicine Reviews has revealed that spending just ten minutes lying in the tub is enough time to reap the sleep-promoting benefits of a good bath.
First date: 57 minutes
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It takes just under an hour to meet someone on a first date and decide if there will be a second.
According to Cosmopolitan magazine: “57 minutes is perfect for grabbing a round of drinks, grabbing coffee, and finding out if your date has sisters or not.”
Saying you’re too busy to go out is no longer an excuse!
Have sex: 7-13 minutes
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WE are led to believe that the best sex should last hours and hours, but it should last less than 15 minutes.
The Pennsylvania State University in the US considers that penetration should last between seven and 13 minutes.
The Journal of Sexual Medicine wrote: “We hope to dispel such fantasies and encourage men and women with realistic facts about acceptable sexual relations, thus avoiding disappointment and sexual dysfunction.”
Watch TV: 2 hours
7
There IS always something in the box to keep us entertained, but watch out for binge-viewing.
Watching more than two hours of television has been linked to health problems.
A 12-year study by Biobank, a health research project, found that those who watched less than two hours of their favorite TV shows each day had the lowest overall health risks.
Hug your children: 20 seconds
HAVING a hug from mom or dad seems to make everything better, even as an adult, but just 20 seconds is the optimal time to hug the little ones.
Scientists at Toho University in Japan discovered that a longer hug could irritate the little ones.
Their study said: “It was almost impossible to avoid a baby’s moodiness during a hug of a minute or more.”
Work: 52 minutes
MOST people can’t afford to decide how long they’ll have to work, but if you do, then the perfect amount of time to focus most effectively is 52 minutes.
After that, if you take a 17-minute break, your productivity will skyrocket, according to time-tracking app DeskTime.
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