Just 11 minutes of your time
Research published recently in the British Journal of Sports Medicine points to the fact that we can significantly reduce the risk of an early death with just 11 minutes of moderate physical activity each day, or 75 minutes per week.
When we talk about moderate physical activity we are referring to the kind of exertion associated with a brisk walk.
Recommended physical activity guidelines suggest we should aim for around 150 minutes of moderate physical activity each week and it should be noted that the researchers from the University of Cambridge found that disease risk continued to fall up to these suggested levels.
However, these finding exist as great news for those who find the thought of 150 minutes each week a little daunting.
In terms of the headlines created from various forms of scientific research, we need to be very wary of the number of subjects who took part and the relative outcomes.
This research involved a review of 196 peer reviewed articles with more than 30 million participants, so the results hold a high level of validity.
They found that half the recommended level of moderate physical activity each week could significantly reduce the risk of cardiovascular disease and cancer.
Cardiovascular disease including heart disease and stroke are the leading cause of death globally with some 17.9 million deaths in 2019. Cancer accounted for 9.6 million deaths worldwide in 2017.
Such were the benefits that just 11 minutes of moderate physical activity each day results in a 23 per cent reduction in the risk of an early death.
We know that two out of three people fail to achieve the recommended 150 minutes each week outside work based physical activity but this research demonstrates that even a little activity each week could have a profound impact on our health and the pressure exerted on a challenged NHS system.
Most of us can surely find 11 minutes in the average day to get our heart rate up a little and breath a little harder.
Could you walk or cycle to work or park a little further away from your destination?
Could you engage in some active play with your kids or grandchildren?
Could you take up an active hobby?
Let’s face it guys, if we are relatively mobile then a five and a half minute walk down the road and then back to the house is well within the scope of most people.
How long do we spend on our phones or watching TV? Could you sacrifice 11 minutes of screen time to reduce your risk of an early death?
Please don’t become one of our society’s sad statistics when such a small application of time and energy could be quite literally life changing, not just for you but for those nearest and dearest to you. It’s just 11 minutes.
If you would like some help and guidance on enjoyable ways to get your daily 11 minutes and perhaps build to the recommended and even more beneficial 150 minutes of moderate activity each week, please visit www.lornhealthyoptions.co.uk and self-refer to our Thrive programme.
Our health trajectories are not locked in place and inevitable a little change in behaviour right now can result in a very different future destination.