What is the Least Amount of Exercise A Person Can Do To Make a Difference To Health?
The following information is based on a large exercise study
The following findings come from a large study* which involved 416 175 people consisting of men and women. The research was conducted over a period of more than 8 years, so it’s pretty solid.
These were some of the most interesting conclusions made from this study:
1. Men and women who walked for 15 minutes a day for six days a week had a reduction in all-cause mortality of 14%, a reduction in cancer mortality of 10% and a reduction in cardiovascular mortality of 20%.
2. The benefits of physical activity clearly showed in the study that a little amount of physical activity – e.g. walking for 15 minutes per day is good, but more exercise is more beneficial.
3. In an ideal world, people would benefit from 300 minutes of moderate-intensity physical activity per week, which works out to about 45 minutes exercise per day, although this is not realistic for most people.
TIP: If you want it to last, make your exercise program fun and your fitness goals realistic
Exercise ideas for 15 - 20 minutes a day, or for those who are obese
For those with a rushed schedule, what other home exercises can you do for 15 – 20 minutes a day? These can also be done by people who are very overweight or obese:
Leslie Sansone’s “Walk Away The Pounds” DVD. Walk in one spot. Weights are used.
Oxycise is an isotonics exercise program. It focuses on breathing. The exercises can be done standing, sitting or lying down.
In conclusion
Get yourself a recumbent bicycle, or do a Google search - there are plenty of ideas and equipment that will suit your lifestyle.
In conclusion: the biggest issue about starting any exercise program is simply (or not so simply for some of us) to just decide you are going to do something, or die trying.
*Source of information:
The Lancet, Early Online Publication, 16 August 2011