If you want to live longer, push yourself a little harder the next time you hit the gym. A new study reveals that putting extra strain on your body during exercise is more important than squeezing in another session.
Researchers from the University of Basel in Switzerland and the University of Leicester in the UK have shown that the intensity of exercise may be more important than the amount of time spent doing physical activity.
The researchers collected three years of fitness tracker information for a total of 7,518 U.S. adults, and then recorded mortality data for an additional four years.
High-intensity physical activity was found to be associated with a relatively lower risk of premature death from all causes, but the difference was most pronounced for cardiovascular disease. Think things like stroke and artery disease. heart problems.
“The higher the intensity, the more the cardiovascular system is stimulated.” say Fabian Schwendinger, a sports scientist at the University of Basel.
“This improves vascular function and cardiorespiratory function, which improves cardiovascular and respiratory system performance.”
Speeding up your regular jog or taking the stairs instead of the elevator are just two ways to promote healthy daily activity. Just one example from the data: Walking briskly for an additional 150 minutes a week can reduce your risk of death by as much as 28%, the study reports. This is a huge benefit as it doesn’t require much extra effort.
This research previous research While this study found that higher intensity during exercise may have a positive effect on health, the study also directly compared it to the total duration of exercise.
“One of the great strengths of our study is that it involves people with very different levels of fitness and health.” say Schwendinger.
“This means that everyone, whether they are physically active or physically inactive, can benefit from the knowledge that higher exercise intensity reduces mortality.”
The study authors also found that vigorous physical activity was most effective when done in one session rather than over the course of a day.
Let’s face it: more exercise, no matter the intensity, is better. What’s more, sometimes it’s too much. There will come a time when intense exercise will not leave you many years until the end of your life, and on the contrary, it will begin to damage your body.
“It’s not like you can only live long if you train very intensively and are exhausted and completely out of breath.” say Schwendinger.
This research European Journal of Preventive Cardiology.
