This 15-minute activity can help you live longer

Most people want to live long, healthy lives. There’s a plethora of information about what you can do to increase life expectancy. Yet the answer is quite simple. There’s one simple activity that is proven to add years to your lifespan. And it’s not very difficult to accomplish. A new study published in medical journal The Lancet by Dr. Chi Pang Wen and associates has revealed interesting findings. The study enrolled more than 400,000 people who answered a standard medical questionnaire. Based on their answers, the study participants were categorized into five groups, namely inactive, low, medium, highly active, and very highly active. Study participants were categorized according to the amount of exercise they performed on a weekly basis. The enrollees were followed up after eight years. The researchers found that individuals in the low group who did 15 minutes of physical exercise every day had a 14 percent lower risk of death from any cause compared to the inactive group that did not exercise at all. Moreover, the low group had an additional 3 years of life expectancy by being physically active for just 15 minutes a day. The authors concluded that every 15 minutes of physical activity added to a person’s daily routine can reduce the risk of death from any cause by 4 percent. This is applicable to people of both genders and all ages. Even individuals with risk factors for cardiovascular disease can enjoy the same benefits from exercise. In the United Kingdom, the National Health Service recommends 150 minutes of moderate exercise per week. However, the evidence suggests that people who do less than the recommended amount of exercise can also lower their risk of early death. The findings were corroborated by scientists in France at the University Hospital of Saint-Etienne. The French group found that exercise, at less than the recommended 150 minutes per week, could reduce mortality by more than 20 percent in people above the age of 60. Importantly, the researchers indicated that physical activity and longevity are linked in a linear fashion. In other words, the more exercise someone does, the lower their risk of dying at an early age. People who do the recommended 150 minutes of physical activity every week have a 28 percent lower risk of early death. And those who exceed the minimum recommendation benefit even more with a 35 percent reduced risk of dying early. Researchers at Austria’s Center for Sports Science and University Sports have come out with similar findings. The group says vigorous physical activity can reduce the risk of early death by 5 percent compared to moderate-intensity exercise. They concluded that moderate physical activity, such as that accomplished by activities of daily living, are less beneficial than formal workouts. How do you know what’s vigorous activity and what’s moderate exercise? The NHS qualifies brisk walking, water aerobics, and riding a bike on flat ground as moderate intensity exercises. Jogging, running, swimming, and riding a bike uphill are categorized as vigorous activities. Other examples of vigorous exercise include skipping rope, gymnastics, and martial arts. Experts recommend mixing and matching workouts and combining cardiovascular exercise with strength training. A good workout routine would thus include running, swimming, yoga, and weightlifting on different days of the week to achieve at least the recommended 150 minutes of physical exercise per week.