The key to enhance longevity and ensure better aging It is not found in a miracle remedy or a magic pill. The only way to slow down the effects of the inexorable passage of time is to act on our habits and make good decisions on a daily basis. Sleeping well, managing stress, taking care of mental health, adhering to a balanced diet and doing physical exercise are some of the pillars on which to build a healthy lifestyle.
And we don’t have to go crazy either. Sometimes a little is a lot and of course it is infinitely better than nothing. We talk, of course, about get off the couch and abandon a sedentary lifestylewhich is a silent enemy and difficult to defeat if we do not do our part. It is more than proven that this is a factor that significantly increases the risk of suffering from a good number of chronic diseases and, therefore, mortality.
However, despite being aware of the enormous benefits of physical activity, we spend more and more hours a day sitting. In Spain the figures are certainly worrying since 52% of the population, according to the latest data managed by the Center for Sociological Research (CIS), does absolutely no type of physical activity. A drama.
However, a longer, healthier life could be just ten minutes walkaccording to the conclusions of a recent study carried out by researchers at the University of Leicester. The conclusions of the work, published in the magazine Journal of Sport and Health Sciencesuggest that adding the equivalent of ten minutes of brisk walking to the daily routine of inactive men and women over 60 years of age is associated with a notable increase in life expectancy.
The study was carried out comparing the results of existing studies in the UK Biobank medical database. Specifically, this analysis included data from 40,953 women (with a mean age of 61.9 years) and 30,820 men (with a mean age of 63.1 years), from studies in which physical activity had been measured. objectively using an accelerometer placed on the participants’ wrist.
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“In this large sample we observed that, for a 60-year-old inactive person, adding the equivalent of a daily brisk walk of ten minutes was related to an average of 0.9 more years of life for women and 1.4 years for inactive men”explains Tom Yates, professor of Physical Activity, Sedentary Lifestyle and Health at the University of Leicester.
More time, more years
The results also suggest that extra years of life can be gained by increasing the total amount of physical activity performed (for example, walking for longer) or the intensity of physical activity performed (for example, converting a slow walk into a brisk walk). , but that the greatest profits were achieved by doing both. “Add a daily brisk walk of 30 minutes was associated with 1.4 years of extra life in women and 2.5 years in men, Yates shares.
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For his part, Dr. Francesco Zaccardi, associate professor of Clinical Epidemiology and Health Data Science and co-lead author of the study, assures that the study adds to the evidence that regular daily physical activity is a “powerful determinant of health and longevity”.
“Our hope is that these findings will lead to public health messages that promote the importance of small, regular additions of moderate-to-vigorous intensity physical activity in adults who are currently inactive. A small change can make a significant difference”concludes Zaccardi.
Álvaro Piqueras is a sports expert and in the last five years he has specialized in fitness, nutrition and other health topics. Try to stay up to date with new research and trends in the fields you master to be able to rigorously share the training routine that can inspire a change in your habits, the properties of the foods that should be part of your diet or scientific findings that can improve the physical and mental well-being of people like you.
He began his career in local and regional media in the land of Don Quixote, specifically in Albacete. From there he made the leap to national media after an enriching stint at a wonderful independent advertising agency named after a Beatles song (GettingBetter), although he always kept his journalistic vocation intact.
Hence, he pursued his dream of working for one of the main publishing groups in the country such as Prisa, Vocento and now also Hearst. Perhaps you have read him in the digital version of Diario As, addressing countless topics, or in ABC and other newspapers and magazines of the group, preparing branded content reports for large brands, multinationals and institutions. And if you haven’t had the chance, now is the time to do it at Men’s Health and Runner’s World.
As it could not be otherwise, he confesses to being a lover of sports and from a very young age he has tried disciplines as diverse as athletics, football, basketball, tennis, cycling or swimming. Sometimes feeling the adrenaline of the competition, and other times simply enjoying the benefits of physical activity. Now he has taken up functional exercises and boxing because he is certain that the bag is incapable of hitting him back.
Graduated in Advertising and Public Relations from the University of Alicante, he also has specific training in social media management and direction, strategic planning and graphic design. Lately he has delved into the universe of generative artificial intelligence applied to journalism, but he swears and perjures that he does not use it professionally because, among other considerations, he continues to enjoy every word he writes after 20 years of experience in the communication sector.