Everyone’s relationship with exercise is different. Maybe you’re a fitness junkie, hitting the gym five days a week or training for a marathon to push your body to its limits. But for most Americans, physical activity takes a backseat to everything else going on in their lives.
According to , only 26% of men, 19% of women, and 20% of adolescents are active enough to meet aerobic and muscle-strengthening guidelines. Ministry of Health and Human Services.
If you’re one of the many people who don’t achieve the current recommended minimum amount of physical activity (150 to 300 minutes of moderate-intensity physical activity per week), newly published research suggests that you can live a long and healthy life. You may be missing out on significant improvements in lifespan. British Journal of Sports Medicine.
Researchers analyzed 2017 mortality data from the CDC National Center for Health Statistics. It included more than 36,000 Americans age 40 and older, whose physical activity levels were based on data from 2003 to 2006. National Health and Nutrition Survey. They investigated how much the amount of physical activity shortened or increased life expectancy.
The researchers converted all forms of moderate-to-vigorous exercise into equivalent walking times to make comparisons between groups easier to understand.
Activity levels were classified into four categories. For the least active people, that’s the equivalent of 50 minutes of walking per day. The next group walked for 80 minutes every day. The third group walked for 110 minutes, and the most active group walked for 160 minutes per day, or nearly three hours.
One of the study’s most shocking findings was the “huge life expectancy gains for inactive people,” said lead author Lennart Wiermann, professor of public health at Griffith University School of Medicine in Queensland, Australia. he says.
If all people were as active as the top 25% of the population surveyed, Americans over age 40 could live an average of 5.3 years longer, increasing life expectancy to about 84 years. , the study concludes. And if the least active people increased their physical activity to their most active levels, they could live an additional 11 years.
Great benefits even for inactive people
If you find yourself in the least active group, it might be time to start stepping up your exercise routine. “People who are not currently active stand to gain the most,” says Vierman. luck. An additional hour of walking could add another six hours to those people’s lives, he added.
The study classifies the inactive group as walking 50 minutes every day, but that number likely comes from regular daily exercise. This means that they do not engage in any moderate or vigorous intensity physical activity beyond the basic movements of activities of daily living. Important for overall health.
There’s a lot to lose by inactivity, says Viermann. Based on 2017 data, if all Americans age 40 and older were as inactive as the least active 25% of the population, life expectancy would be 5.8 years shorter, and life expectancy at birth would be approximately decreases to 73 years.
It is effective to increase movement
Simply increasing your activity level can provide significant benefits. For the least active people, moving up to the second group increases life expectancy by 0.6 years, and moving up to the third group increases life expectancy by 3.5 years, which is equivalent to the life expectancy of those born at ages 79 and 82. .
For the most active people, Viermann says, they’re likely already taking full advantage of their increased lifespan.
of US Physical Activity Guidelines for Americans It emphasizes the importance of exercise for overall health as well as the perks of longevity. According to DHHS, exercise has been shown to help people sleep better, perform daily tasks more easily, and improve physical and cognitive function, mental health, and energy levels.
DHHS emphasizes the importance of incorporating moderate and vigorous intensity exercise into your daily routine. That can be difficult if you live in a place where you’re dependent on your car and haven’t yet developed a regular exercise habit, Viermann notes. But he says every little thing counts.
Here’s how to incorporate more movement into your day, or what Viermann calls “incidental physical activity.”
- Climb the stairs as much as possible.
- Try to choose public transportation so you can walk to the bus stop or train station.
- Use a mobile standing desk to alternate between standing and sitting.
- You can walk to the water cooler, printer, bathroom, or grab a cup of coffee at work.
“Try to find small things you can do without too much effort,” says Viermann. “Little things can make a big difference over the years.”
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