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Horray! Add years to your life with just 5 minutes a day!

Horray! Add years to your life with just 5 minutes a day!

Written by: Paul Kochoa, PT, DPT, OCS, CKTP, CGFI

 

A recent article in the New York Times cited a new study from the Journal of American College of Cardiology claiming that just as little as five minutes of exercise a day can decrease your risk of dying.  Whoa.  So what you’re saying is that I don’t need to run 20-30 miles a week? Wow.

It was a large and long study, over 15,000 people over 15 years.  They investigated a person’s exercise habits and their death rates.  Many of the deaths were from heart disease.  They found that the people who ran were at a lower risk of dying, about 30 percent lower, than non-runners.  The runners actually gained 3 years of life over those who didn’t run.

But the benefits were about the same no matter how long or how fast one ran.  Sure, people who ran farther and faster lived longer than those who only ran 5 or 10 minutes at slower paces.  But the difference wasn’t significant.  So the bottom line is that any amount of activity, even little bits of it, can have a great affect on your health and how long you live.

The activity doesn’t have to be running either, it can be biking or swimming, it’s just that you need to move.  For most of my patient’s, I’ve always prescribed some type of exercise to get them moving, be more active.  Simple changes in one’s activity level throughout the day are important.  And as little as five minutes a day can add years to your life.

If you would like more information, please call Professional Physical Therapy and Training at 973-270-7417.  Our offices are located within the YMCA locations in Madison and Summit, NJ.  You do not need to be a member of the YMCA to visit with us.

 

Image courtesy of Vlado / FreeDigitalPhotos.net

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