Simple ‘medication’ to help live a long and healthy life

A new study published in the journal The Lancet was conducted based on health data of more than 150,000 adults in the US, Sweden, Norway and the UK. The results showed that adding 5 minutes of daily exercise could help prevent up to 6% of deaths in the most sedentary group of people. If this habit were applied to the entire population, the death rate could be reduced by up to 10%.

Not only encouraging movement, scientists also study the effects of reducing time spent sitting in one place. The results showed that sitting 30 minutes less per day could help prevent about 3% of deaths in the sedentary group and 7% of the overall population.

Professor Ulf Ekelund (Norwegian School of Sports Sciences) emphasized: “In a community where 100,000 people die each year, we can save 7,000 lives just by encouraging them to sit 30 minutes less.”

Alyssa Lombardi, an exercise physiologist at Hartford HealthCare, wholeheartedly agrees. She believes that the movement towards a natural lifestyle is gaining momentum. Instead of relying entirely on prescription drugs, many people are choosing to make lifestyle changes. “Exercise is medicine, even just 5 minutes can significantly improve both a person’s physical and mental health,” she shared.

Dr. Bert Mandelbaum (Cedars-Sinai Orthopedic Center) offers an interesting perspective on “Playspan” – the time when we live without being beset by disability or disease.

He explains that our bodies have genetic “switches” inherited from our ancestors. Exercise is a way to turn on these switches so that the body adapts and becomes more flexible.

Our goal is not only to prolong the X axis (lifespan – Lifespan) but also to increase the Y axis (health – Healthspan). The more balance, good nutrition and strong bones and joints you maintain, the larger the area under the “Playspan” chart. This means you can enjoy life to the fullest and be active until your final years instead of living in illness.

5 minutes is equivalent to the time it takes you to make a cup of coffee or wait for a bus. You can choose to take a quick walk around the office; Take the stairs instead of the elevator; Do some gentle cardio exercises right in the living room.