A large new foreign study found that just 11 minutes of moderate to high-intensity aerobic exercise per day can reduce the risk of cancer, cardiovascular disease or premature death, and can reduce the risk of premature death by 23%.
Aerobic exercise includes walking, dancing, running, jogging, cycling, and swimming, and you can measure the intensity level of your activity by your heart rate and how hard you breathe while exercising. Generally speaking, if you can speak but not sing during exercise, it means that the intensity is moderate, while the characteristic of intense intensity is that you cannot carry on a conversation.
11 minutes of daily physical activity can reduce the risk of premature death by 23%
According to past research, higher levels of physical activity are associated with lower rates of premature mortality and chronic disease. To explore this effect, scientists at the University of Cambridge in the UK looked at data from 196 studies involving more than 30 million adult participants with an average follow-up of 10 years. The results of the latest study were published in the British Journal of Sports Medicine ” (British Journal of Sports Medicine).
The study focused on participants who completed the minimum recommended physical activity of 150 minutes per week or 22 minutes per day. Compared with inactive participants, adults who engaged in 150 minutes of moderate-to-vigorous aerobic activity per week had a 31 percent lower risk of dying from any cause, a 29 percent lower risk of dying from cardiovascular disease, and a 29 percent lower risk of dying from cancer 15% reduction. The same amount of exercise was associated with a 27 percent lower risk of cardiovascular disease and a 12 percent lower risk of cancer.
There is a strong correlation between increased physical activity and reduced risk of cardiovascular disease, cancer and premature death. This study confirms this and goes further to note that getting at least 150 minutes of the recommended amount of physical activity per week can help.Even those who did only half the minimum recommended amount of physical activity benefited, and for those who engaged in little or no physical activity, accumulating 75 minutes of moderate-intensity activity per week, equivalent to regarding 11 minutes of exercise per day, might 23% lower risk of premature death.
Some physical activity is better than no exercise, even if you’re not getting the recommended amount. 1 in 10 premature deaths might be avoided if everyone achieved half the recommended level of physical activity (accumulating 75 minutes of moderate-intensity activity per week). Furthermore, 10.9% and 5.2% of all cardiovascular disease and cancer cases might have been prevented.
But experts warn that if you feel pain while exercising, please stop immediately. Consult your physician before starting any new exercise program.
Do a little exercise every day and start from changing your living habits
While the study’s authors didn’t detail the specific types of physical activity the participants did, some experts do have ideas regarding how physical activity might reduce the risk of chronic disease and premature death.
Benefits of exercise may also include improved immune function, lung and heart health, high blood pressure, cholesterol and body fat mass, said Eleanor Watts, a postdoctoral fellow in the National Cancer Institute’s Division of Cancer Epidemiology and Genetics.
The fact that participants who completed only half of the minimum recommended amount of physical activity (accumulated 75 minutes of moderate-intensity activity per week) still benefited does not mean that people should not aim to be more active. Experts recommend that to get up to 150 minutes of physical activity per week, find a form of exercise that you enjoy. “You’re more likely to work on something you love to do than something you have to make yourself do.”
Leandro Garcia, lecturer in the School of Medicine, Dentistry and Biomedical Sciences at Queen’s University Belfast, said moderate activity doesn’t necessarily involve what we usually think of as exercise or running, and sometimes, you just need to change some habits . For example, try walking or cycling to work or study instead of driving, or engaging in active play with children or grandchildren. Doing activities that you enjoy and are easy to incorporate into your weekly routine is a great way to become more active.
Further reading:
‧How does one go from not exercising at all to exercising with ease?Step by step in 5 stages
‧A better time to exercise than morning exercise: research reveals when to exercise to improve health benefits
‧Is it inevitable to gain weight in middle age? Expert: It’s not the fault of age!Get moving, 10 strokes to speed up your metabolism
References:11 minutes of daily exercise might have a positive impact on your health, large study shows
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