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Can Exercise Counts Boost Your Life Counts?�

Can Exercise Counts Boost Your Life Counts?

by Karishma Abhishek on May 23 2022 3:00 PM
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Highlights:
  • Exercises reduce the risk of type 2 diabetes, heart diseases, cancer, and even premature deaths by up to 30%
  • However, the optimal “dose” of exercise to reap these benefits remain highly debated
  • A minimum of 150 minutes of moderate exercise for 7 days is optimal for healthy body and mind
Exercises are well known for their beneficial effects on the body. It is known to lessen the risk of various diseases like type 2 diabetes, stroke, coronary heart disease, cancer, and even premature deaths by up to 30% (1 Trusted Source
Benefits of exercise

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).
However, one of the most unrelenting debates is how much exercise we exactly require to stay healthy?

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Ideal Exercise Dose

Quantifying the ideal exercise “dose” has been a long grind for various exercise scientists. Finally, in 2008, the Physical Activity Guidelines for Americans reached a broad consensus after an extensive review (3 Trusted Source
Is 30 Minutes of Exercise a Day Enough?

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).

According to experts, a minimum of 150 minutes (half of it, if intense or may break into 30-minute sessions — five times a week) of moderate exercise is restorative for healthy living (2 Trusted Source
Is 30 minutes a day enough exercise to stay fit and healthy?

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).

However, many raise a dispute if 30 minutes of exercise a day is enough to stay fit and healthy or what is the best spaced out dose? Experts state that some of us may mandate even less to enrich longevity (2 Trusted Source
Is 30 minutes a day enough exercise to stay fit and healthy?

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).

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Moderate Exercise? How Much Exactly?

“For longevity, 150 minutes a week of moderate to vigorous-intensity physical activity clearly is enough,” says Dr. I-Min Lee of the Harvard TH Chan School of Public Health ( 3 Trusted Source
Is 30 Minutes of Exercise a Day Enough?

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)

With extensive studies on movement and health, “it is quite clear from numerous large-scale, well-conducted epidemiological studies that 30 minutes of moderate-intensity activity most days lowers the risk of premature death and many diseases, such as stroke, heart attack, type 2 diabetes and many types of cancer.” Moderate exercise means “activities that increase your breathing and heart rate, so the exertion feels like a five or six on a scale between one and 10,” says Ulf Ekelund from the Norwegian School of Sports Sciences in Oslo (3 Trusted Source
Is 30 Minutes of Exercise a Day Enough?

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).

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Get the Best Out of It

Simple tips to get the most out of your exercise regimen include the following (3 Trusted Source
Is 30 Minutes of Exercise a Day Enough?

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):

Opt for Exercise Snacks:
Experts state that our body doesn’t require long, continuous sessions of exercise to reap the benefits. One may even consider dispersing their exercise regimen into even smaller segments (bite-sized workouts with relatively higher intensity — like fast walking or stair climbing) across the day for most health benefits.

However, one must not try to compensate for the entire week’s work totally on weekends as one may miss the health benefits of regular exercises and rather land up with an elevated risk of exercise-related injuries.

Hack Your Track:
A study published in The Lancet state that the optimal step count for people younger than 60 was about 8,000 to 10,000 a day, and for those 60 and over, it was about 6,000 to 8,000 a day. Hence, one may also keep track of their steps to achieve the benefits of 150 minutes of exercise.

Raise Your Chunks:
Although 150 minutes of exercise a week may reap health benefits, it might not be sufficient to waive off those extra weights gained or endure a marathon run. Hence, one may consider inclining beyond 30 minutes a day, to reach their targets.

Any activity is better than none as “every single minute counts… even if it only lasts for one or two minutes,”says Dr. Ekelund.

References :
  1. Benefits of exercise - (https://www.nhs.uk/live-well/exercise/exercise-health-benefits/)
  2. Is 30 minutes a day enough exercise to stay fit and healthy? - (https://www.irishtimes.com/life-and-style/health-family/fitness/is-30-minutes-a-day-enough-exercise-to-stay-fit-and-healthy-1.4848162)
  3. Is 30 Minutes of Exercise a Day Enough? - (https://www.nytimes.com/2022/04/06/well/move/30-minutes-exercise.html)


Source-Medindia


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