In the five stages of grief, bargaining is the one where a mixture of hope and desperation work in futile collaboration to reverse a calamitous situation.
That’s sort of how it is with public health researchers trying to put a rocket under the backside of a recalcitrant populace that refuses to embrace physical activity guidelines.
You’ve heard it all before: The World Health Organisation recommends adults do at least 150 minutes of moderate-intensity activity or 75 minutes of vigorous-intensity activity a week.
It’s not a lot, and yet people complain they don’t have time to take a 30-minute walk five days a week.
But what if 11 minutes per day is all you needed?
Bargaining with the clock
In recent years, scientists have been looking at how ultra-short workouts are great for the metabolism.
They have also been looking at how people can use their time better and incorporate exercise into their chores and business of living. No more excuses!
In 2021 The New Daily reported on a study that found that exercising in four-second, go-hard intervals – repeated five times an hour – quickly prods the body to become stronger and fitter.
In March last year, I wrote about a three-second workout!
Most of us ignore the advice
According to the Australian Institute of Health and Welfare more than half (55 per cent) of adults don’t meet the recommended physical activity.
So what to do? The point of these guidelines is to help people age more healthily and protect themselves against heart disease, stroke, certain cancers and early death.
In a study published this week, Cambridge researchers found that those benefits are attainable, to a meaningful extent, if people only manage half the recommended level of physical activity.
And this is where the bargaining raises its head once more. You don’t have to do as much exercise to lower your risk of death and disease, so how about it?
One in 10 early deaths could be prevented
The study is from the Medical Research Council (MRC) Epidemiology Unit at the University of Cambridge School of Clinical Medicine.
It found that “just 11 minutes a day (75 minutes a week) of moderate-intensity physical activity – such as a brisk walk – would be sufficient to lower the risk of diseases such as heart disease, stroke and a number of cancers”.
One in 10 early deaths could be prevented “if everyone managed at least half the recommended level of physical activity”.
These findings are from a meta-analysis of 196 peer-reviewed articles, covering more than 30 million participants.
Other findings
Accumulating 75 minutes per week of moderate-intensity activity delivered:
- A 23 per cent lower risk of early death
- A 17 per cent lower risk of developing cardiovascular disease
- A 7 per cent lower risk of cancer
- For some specific cancers, the reduction in risk was greater. The risk of head and neck, myeloid leukaemia, myeloma, and gastric cardia cancers fell by 14 to 26 per cent
- For lung, liver, endometrial, colon, and breast cancers, a 3 to 11 per cent lower risk was observed.
Dr Soren Brage from the MRC Epidemiology Unit said: “If you are someone who finds the idea of 150 minutes of moderate-intensity physical activity a week a bit daunting, then our findings should be good news.
“Doing some physical activity is better than doing none. This is also a good starting position if you find that 75 minutes a week is manageable, then you could try stepping it up gradually to the full recommended amount.”
It’s a worthwhile goal.
If everyone followed the physical activity guidelines in full then one in six (16 per cent) early deaths would be prevented.
And one in nine (11 per cent) cases of cardiovascular disease and one in 20 (5 per cent) cases of cancer would be prevented.
