Category: Exercise

Any amount of this exercise can improve health and increase longevity.

Any amount of running at whatever speed you run — and as little as once a week — could protect you from early death.

This finding comes from a review of 14 studies involving 232,149 people who were followed for 5.5 to 35 years.

Researchers investigated whether running or jogging can increase lifespan and, if so, will the intensity or duration of the exercise matter?

The answer was that running itself is a remedy as it can prevent the risk of death from any cause, including cancer and heart disease.

The authors of the study wrote:

“Any amount of running, even just once a week, is better than no running, while higher doses of running
may not necessarily be associated with greater mortality benefits.

Increased rates of participation in running, regardless of its dose, would probably lead to substantial improvements in population health and longevity.”

They found that any dose of running lowered the risk of early death from any cause by 27 percent when compared with no running.

The runners also had a 23 percent lower risk of death by cancer and 30 percent lower risk of death from cardiovascular disease than those who didn’t run or jog at all.

The World Health Organization reports that 31 percent of adults worldwide were physically inactive in 2008 and a sedentary lifestyle accounted for 3.2 million deaths each year.

The guidelines for physical activity for adults are at least 150 minutes of moderate activity or 75 minutes of vigorous intensity activity per week.

However, this study suggests that even the smallest amount of running — for instance, a weekly run of less than 50 minutes at a speed of 6 miles (8 km) per hour — will still lower the risk of death significantly.

Dr Zeljko Pedisic, the study’s first author, said:

“Any running is probably good for your health and you can achieve those benefits by running even just once a week or running 50 minutes a week, but that shouldn’t discourage those who run more than that amount, who maybe enjoy running three times a week or six times a week.”

The study was published in British Journal of Sports Medicine (Pedisic et al., 2019).

The purpose of your walk reveals the level of your health.

Those who walk for a reason rate their health as better, a study has found.

Compared to leisurely walks, a brisk paced walk is a healthier option as it improves brain, heart, and lung function.

Past studies have found that fast walking helps burn more calories but more importantly increases longevity and lowers the risk of early death from heart disease.

This study reveals that people tend to walk faster when they have a purpose, such as walking to work and consider themselves healthier than slow walkers.

If the purpose of the trip is essential — like walking to the grocery shop or work — it makes people walk quicker, leading to better health outcomes when compared with casual strolls.

Dr Gulsah Akar, one of the study’s author, said:

“We found that walking for utilitarian purposes significantly improves your health, and that those types of walking trips are easier to bring into your daily routine.

So, basically, both as city planners and as people, we should try to take the advantage of this as much as possible.”

The research team collected data from the National Household Travel Survey on 125,885 American adults who reported the amount of time spent on walking for various purposes.

More than 500,000 trips were analysed and reasons for the trips included walking from home to get to work, walking from home to buy goods, social and recreational walks.

The data showed that walking trips for any reason and for any duration generally made people feel healthier than those who drove or used public transport.

People who walked an extra 10 minutes from home for work — for example, walking from home to the train station — were more likely to have a 6 percent better health score than those who walked for other purposes.

People who walked from home to the shops or for recreational activities scored 3 percent better.

On average, people who walked for work had a 2.7 miles per hour faster rate compared to other walking trips.

Recreational walking, for example, walking after dinner, showed a 2.5 miles per hour higher speed.

Moreover,  people tend to have longer walking trips if they start from home than those walks that start from elsewhere.

Dr Akar said:

“I was thinking the differences would not be that significant, that walking is walking, and all forms of walking are helpful.

And that is true, but walking for some purposes has significantly greater effect on our health than others.”

It seems that replacing this activity with the sedentary part of our day, say commuting on foot instead of driving, would give a healthier feeling.

Dr Akar added:

“That means going to a gym or a recreation center aren’t the only ways to exercise.

It’s an opportunity to put active minutes into our daily schedules in an easy way.”

The study was published in the Journal of Transport & Health (Pae & Akar, 2020).