The 11-Minute Exercise That Reduces Your Risk Of Dying By 23%
It only takes eleven minutes to improve your health.
Vladimir Sukhachev/ Shutterstock Exercise is an essential factor for a healthy life, but modern life's challenges and luxuries make physical activity a little tricky.
You are too busy dealing with the challenges that you have no time for exercise and you enjoy today’s luxuries at the cost of your self-discipline.
You are either too busy or too lazy to find the time to exercise. But this recent study has found the bare minimum exercise you need for a healthy life.
The largest meta-analysis ever for exercise
Researchers from the Medical Research Council (MRC) at the University of Cambridge conducted the largest systemic review of 196 peer review articles with more than 30 million participants in 94 studies.
This meta-analysis allowed them to review all the studies that provided half-baked solutions and often contradicted each other.
In short, this is the most extensive analysis that you can find on physical movement and the risk of cardiovascular disease and cancer.
They came to an agreeable solution that will make exercise easy and accessible for all of us.
The least amount of physical activity you need
The NHS prescribes 150 minutes of moderate-intensity exercise or 75 minutes of vigorous-intensity exercise every week.
But this meta-analysis concluded that 11 minutes of daily moderate-intensity exercise decreased the risk of early death by 23%.
People who exercised for more than 150 minutes a week experienced fewer additional benefits than those who exercised for 75 minutes per week.
So, if you are in a fitness slump then focus on doing just 11 minutes of daily exercise.
You can save your life in 11 minutes every day
Small ripples create big effects. 11 minutes of non-work related physical activity can actually save your life.
In just 11 minutes you can decrease the risk of early death by 23%, cardiovascular disease by 17%, and cancer by 7%.
You can even decrease the risk of a few cancers like myeloid leukemia, myeloma, and gastric cardia by 26%
Practice 11 minutes of mindful movement daily to boost the quality of your life by significantly decreasing the risk of the two deadly chronic diseases.
The following chart represents the percentage of cases that can be reduced by 150/75 minutes of moderate exercise every week.
The percentage of cases that can be reduced by 150/75 minutes of moderate-intensity(M-I) exercise per week.
Moderation is the key
Exercise doesn’t have to be hard. You’ll only be able to stick to an exercise routine if it’s easy.
So, make exercise easy and redefine physical movement on your own terms.
Moderate-intensity exercise raises your heart rate and makes you breathe a little faster but you are still able to speak while working out.
So, any activity that makes you active without inferring your ability to talk is moderate exercise.
You need to start moderate-intensity exercise for 11 minutes daily. This easy time limit will help you form an exercise routine.
A simple mindset shift for a healthier lifestyle
You need to make movement a regular part of your life, without it, you won’t be able to get even 11 minutes of daily exercise.
We have always been an active species so movement was the default mode. But modern society has reversed the norm on its head.
Now sitting has become the norm, which is killing millions of people every year. So, you need to make movement your default state again.
- Take micro-actions that help you get up at least once every hour.
- A makeshift standing desk will be your savior.
- Take a 5-minute walking break after 30 minutes of sitting.
- Make a habit to exercise for 10 minutes daily.
You can get so many incredible benefits from exercise in a measly 11 minutes a day.
So, you need to find an exercise that you like ASAP because that’s the only way you’ll stick to it.
You need to exercise daily for at least 11 minutes daily it’s the bare minimum that you can do to live a healthy and long life.
You need to focus on moderate-intensity activities that can get your heart rate up. These are a few fun examples of moderate-intensity exercise.
- Go on a brisk walk for 10 minutes daily.
- Dance with your friends
- A bike ride around the block.
- Play a friendly match of tennis.
- Go on a beautiful hike.
Increase your time limit gradually to 150 minutes every week once you have formed an exercise habit.
Khyati Jain is an editor and writer with expertise in health, fitness, lifestyle, and mental health.