How much exercise do you actually do? Even though we know being active is essential to our health and wellbeing, it seems many folks aren’t doing any at all and our lifestyles are becoming more sedentary. Research shows people are 20% less active than we were in the 1960s and if that trend continues, it's predicted we’ll be 35% less active by 2030. Luckily, we don’t have to spend a lot of time working out to change that.
Doing just ten minutes of activity a day is enough to make a difference. These short bursts, called “exercise snacks” can be anything from taking a brisk walk to pulling some weeds in the yard and they’re good for health and longevity, too.
- A study of nearly 650-thousand middle-age people finds that being active for 75 minutes a week - which is just over ten minutes a day - could lead to an extra 1.8-years of life expectancy, compared to doing nothing at all.
- And those who do more exercise get even more benefits. People who get around 150 minutes of moderate intensity exercise a week - the amount recommended by the World Health Organization - could expect an extra 4.5-years added to their lives.
Dr. Steve Moore, the lead study author, calls that a “surprisingly large return for such a small amount of time.” Even more convincing? In the 2019 Physical Activity Guidelines report, the chief medical officers write, “If physical activity were a drug, we would refer to it as a miracle cure, due to the great many illnesses it can prevent and help treat.”
Source: The Telegraph