We know it’s good for us to exercise but studies continue to show just how good it really is. The latest findings confirm, “People who exercise can add three years to their life, and their hearts reap benefits from something as simple as brisk walking a half-hour a day,” two studies suggest.
In a study conducted in Rotterdam, researchers analyzed more than forty years of information from the Framingham Heart Study, a long-running health analysis of suburban Boston residents. There were three groupings of participants which totaled 4,121 people: low physical activity, medium and high. The volunteers, who had kept track of how long they spent doing various activities each day, received scores based on the estimated oxygen consumed for their activities.
The results were as we would expect them to be, the group with the higher physical activity level lived longer. Life expectancy at age 50 for the medium activity group was 1.5 years longer than for the low activity group. The high activity group lived 3.5 years longer. The extra years were lived mostly free from heart disease. The study didn’t give details quantifying high, medium or low activity.
Other similar studies have found several ways to achieve the benefits:
Walking for 30 minutes five or more days a week, either moderately or briskly, improved cardiorespiratory fitness. It worked just as well to walk briskly three to four days a week.
Only fast-paced walking on five or more days a week also led to short-term progress in cholesterol levels.
The reality is if you set out to exercise 5 days a week, you will more than likely workout 4 days a week, if you set your goal at 60 minutes a session, you will probably do 45 minutes. To achieve results you need to be consistent so set your goals and stcik to it. Check with your doctor before you start any program of exercise.
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