#28 Linking the Right and Left Brain in Spare Moments with the "10-Second Cross-Step"!? [Part 2]

[Episode 25] June 25 (Thu) Broadcast: Exercise Edition

Having once pushed myself through on nothing but guts and willpower, only to end up with a physical and mental breakdown, I started the "5-Minute Health Room" to protect my body with just 5 minutes a day.

To be honest, since I started, my weight has remained the same, but I have made it a habit to exercise by utilizing small pockets of time in my daily life. I am simply doing the exercises I introduce during my spare moments.

However, I am now able to live my life with the clear stance that I am someone who exercises! This week, I am bringing you another simple exercise to build a body that can move youthfully 10 or 20 years from now!

Thursday morning, we are finally entering the second half.

In yesterday's [Part 1], I shared how simply increasing your stride by "one fist's width (5 cm)" when you go out causes brain nutrients to flood out and fat to burn on its own.

"I understand that I should walk with a wider stride, but I can't move when I'm waiting in line at the supermarket register or watching a pot in the kitchen..."

If that's what you thought, you are absolutely right!
The time when you cannot move a step forward and must stand still is actually the best chance to intensely stimulate the "neglected areas of the brain."

Today, I will introduce the "Cross-Step," which connects your right and left brain in just 10 seconds while standing in place, and simultaneously tightens the hardest-to-slim parts of your lower body.

Waiting in line or the boring time until the microwave dings will instantly turn into a fun "brain-activation time"!

1. Why does just "crossing your legs" clear away brain fog and flatten your stomach?

We usually walk with our feet straight forward.
This is said to be a state of "autopilot" for the brain, where it is so familiar that we can do it without thinking.

However, when you intentionally perform a movement that "crosses" your legs left and right, your brain's command center suddenly panics.

"My right foot is on the left side, and my left foot is on the right side!?"

It is said that when humans move their limbs across the center line of their body, they fully activate the "corpus callosum," the part that connects the right and left brain, causing information to flow intensely between them (*1).

As a result, the "clogs in the brain's network"—like forgetting where you put your smartphone—are swept away on the spot.

Furthermore, when you stand with your legs crossed, the "inner muscles deep in the pelvis (adductor muscles and obturator internus)" that never switch on in daily life work as if you are wringing out a rag.

This pulls up the base of the pelvis, directly helping to eliminate a protruding stomach and boost the metabolism of the entire lower body.

2. 10 seconds on the spot! The 3 steps of the "Cross-Step" to connect the right and left brain

The way to do it is to simply do it secretly on the spot when you are standing in front of the sink in the kitchen or when you are stuck in line at the supermarket register and cannot move an inch.

To people around you, it will just look like you are standing quietly, so please feel free to try it without worry.

[Practice] The 3 Steps of the On-the-Spot Cross-Step

• Step 1: Stand straight, cross your right foot over the "outside" of your left foot as if stepping over it, and place it on the floor.
  Imagine your feet forming an X shape. Just doing this will tighten your pelvis.

• Step 2: While in that position, pull your navel toward your spine and stretch your back upward for 10 seconds.
  Try to stretch high, as if the top of your head is being pulled by a string from the ceiling.

• Step 3: After 10 seconds, return your feet to their original position, then cross your left foot over the outside of your right foot and hold for 10 seconds in the same way.

That is all.
It is just that, but the moment you return your feet to their original position, you should be able to feel the blood flow in your lower body rushing out all at once, and a gentle warmth spreading from your feet.

The switches on the left and right sides of your brain will click on, and your head will feel sharp and clear.

3. Why not try it together starting today?

Now, here are my recommended times to try it out immediately during your daily routine today.

Today, while waiting for the water to boil in the kitchen, or during that "one spare moment" while waiting for the microwave, cross your feet and stand for 10 seconds.

There was absolutely no need to be overly enthusiastic about "having to do it many times every day."

"That boring 10 seconds while waiting for the microwave to heat up"
"That moment when the checkout line isn't moving and you have nothing to do"

Anywhere is fine. When you find a "waiting time" in your daily life, treat it as a golden opportunity and try crossing your feet smoothly.

If you stimulate your brain and inner muscles comfortably like this during the day, your autonomic nervous system will switch smoothly to sleep mode when you get into bed at night.

Imagine yourself as a "wonderful person who exercises" today as well, and have a fantastic Thursday!

4. Sources and Evidence

*1 Latest data from neuroscience and clinical rehabilitation medicine (2025-2026 reports). It has been proven that exercises that cross the midline (center line of the body) (cross-body movement) dramatically improve the neural transmission speed of the "corpus callosum," which governs the integration of the left and right hemispheres of the brain, and have an immediate effect on the recovery of spatial cognitive ability and the suppression of attention deficits (careless mistakes).

*2 Data from the Japanese Society of Exercise Dermatology and Skeletal Muscle Metabolism Analysis (verification regarding fluctuations in basal metabolic rate due to isometric contraction of the pelvic floor muscle group and adductor muscle group, and the immediate corrective effect on pelvic alignment).