Exercising daily may seem inconvenient, inconsequential or even impossible, but as little as 20 minutes of easy exercise every day can increase your chances of living a longer life.
New research conducted by the Medical Research Council (MRC), which studied over 334,000 European men and women, found that individuals who took a brisk, 20-minute walk every day were more likely to live longer than individuals who were inactive. Subsequently, the study found that a lack of physical activity attributed to twice as many deaths than the number attributable to obesity.
The researchers conducted the study over 12 years and tracked the height, weight and waist circumference of the participants. The participants tracked their own physical activity and shared that information with the researchers.
The researchers concluded that exercising the equivalent of a 20-minute, brisk walk every day (enough to burn 90 to 110 calories) classified participants as moderately inactive instead of inactive, which reduced their risk.
Lack of exercise can put you at greater risk for heart disease, high blood pressure, diabetes and cancer. Inactivity may also increase your body mass index (BMI) and risk for obesity, but the association with early death is not directly linked to your BMI.
As the MRC’s research found, just 20 minutes of brisk walking every day can help you be on your way to a healthier life. Use the following examples as easy exercise ideas to ensure you are staying active every day:
- Take the stairs instead of riding a lift.
- If you do take the stairs, take every other step to work your leg muscles more.
- Cycle to a destination rather than driving or taking public transport.
- Walk to a co-worker’s desk to ask a question instead of communicating via phone or email.
- Go dancing on a night out rather than seeing a movie or eating at a restaurant.
- Stretch or do yoga while you are watching TV.
- Get up and walk around the house during commercial breaks while watching TV.
- Do jumping jacks during commercial breaks.Be creative and think of other ways you can easily incorporate a little bit of exercise into your daily routine. Starting small can end up having a big impact on your life.
