Boosting physical activity by just 30 minutes a day can extend life expectancy

Physical activity plays a crucial role in maintaining good health and extending life expectancy, but for many, exercise often takes a backseat to the demands of daily life.

Everyone has a unique relationship with exercise. You might be a fitness enthusiast, hitting the gym five days a week or training for a marathon to challenge your body’s limits. However, for many Americans, physical activity often takes a backseat to the demands of daily life, Caliber.Az reports, citing foreign media.

According to the Department of Health and Human Services, only 26 per cent of men, 19 per cent of women, and 20 per cent of adolescents get enough exercise to meet the recommended guidelines for aerobic and muscle-strengthening activity. If you’re among the many people who aren't meeting the minimum exercise recommendations—150 to 300 minutes of moderate-intensity physical activity each week—you could be missing out on significant benefits to both your longevity and healthspan, according to a recent study published in the British Journal of Sports Medicine.

The researchers analyzed 2017 mortality data from the CDC’s National Center for Health Statistics, which included more than 36,000 Americans over age 40. Their physical activity levels were based on data from the 2003 to 2006 National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey. The study examined how varying levels of physical activity impacted life expectancy. Researchers converted all types of moderate to vigorous exercise into the equivalent number of walking minutes to make comparisons between different groups easier to understand. Activity levels were categorized into four groups: the least active individuals were doing the equivalent of 50 minutes of walking per day; the next group was at 80 minutes of walking per day; the third group was at 110 minutes, and the most active group was performing the equivalent of 160 minutes—almost three hours—of walking each day.

One of the most striking findings of the study was the “enormous amount of life expectancy that inactive people can gain,” says lead author Lennert Veerman, Professor of Public Health at Griffith University School of Medicine in Queensland, Australia.

The study concludes that if all individuals were as active as the top 25 per cent of those studied, Americans over 40 could live an average of 5.3 years longer, raising their life expectancy to about 84 years. Moreover, if the least active individuals increased their activity to the highest level, they could potentially gain up to 11 additional years of life. If you find yourself in the least active category, it might be time to step up your exercise routine.

By Naila Huseynova