DAILY WALK PREVENTS ONE IN 10 EARLY DEATHS

Research from the University of Cambridge shows that even doing just 11 minutes of daily exercise can help prevent premature deaths.

The NHS recommends people take part in physical activity that raises their heart rate for 150-300 minutes a week or 75-150 minutes of vigorous exercise per week, but the researchers say some activity is better than none at all.

By engaging in half the recommended amount of physical activity, people can reduce their risk of developing cardiovascular disease by one in 20 cases and cancer by nearly one in 30 c ses, according to the study’s findings.

This equates to 75 minutes per week - or 11 minutes per day - riding a bike, walking fast, hiking, dancing or playing tennis.

“You should feel yourself moving, your heart will beat faster but you won’t necessarily feel out of breath,” says Dr Soren Brage, who led the research.

Doing that amount is enough to reduce the risk of developing heart disease and stroke by 17% and cancer by 7%, the findings suggest.

Regular exercise reduces body fat and blood pressure while also improving fitness, sleep and heart health in the long run.

The research conducted on exercise and cancer indicates that for certain cancers, such as head and neck, gastric, leukaemia, and blood cancers, the benefits were more substantial than other types of cancer.

However, lung, liver, endometrial, colon and breast cancer showed lower levels of benefit. Furthermore, many people have trouble following the guidelines set by the NHS to get 2.5 hours of moderate-intensity physical activity each week - only 1 in 10 actually manages to complete 5 hours or more a week. Nevertheless, these findings should be encouraging for those who struggle with reaching this goal; it is possible even with shorter duration exercises.

The British Journal of Sports Medicine has recently released the results of a lengthy analysis they conducted on the benefits of exercise. The analysis looked at nearly 100 large studies and 200 peer-reviewed articles, and found that if everyone in the studies did at least 150 minutes of exercise per week, around one in six early deaths would be prevented.

To get more physical activity into your routine, you don’t need to make drastic changes; instead, try replacing some habits for healthier ones by walking or cycling to work or when running errands, or getting more active while playing with your children or grandchildren. Additionally, engaging in enjoyable activities is a great way to add physical activity to your weekly routine. Finally, doing muscle-strengthening activities twice a week – such as yoga, pilates, gardening or carrying heavy shopping bags – can make all the difference.