According to recent studies, regular to moderate physical activity such as brisk walking is able to increase life expectancy for several years, even for people who are obese or overweight. Whilst higher levels of activity were linked to an even longer life expectancy, moderate levels of activity were still beneficial, regardless of the participant’s weight, age, sex, and even the presence of health conditions such as cancer or heart disease. For example, participants who were obese and took part in moderate exercise for 150 minutes per week lived on average 2-3 years longer than those who were obese and did not take part in any physical activity.
Staying Fit Lengthens Your Life
One of the most interesting things to come out of the study is that regardless of your weight or if there are any health conditions present, taking part in regular physical exercise can lengthen your life and increase your life expectancy. In the study, it was found that individuals of a normal weight who took part in exercise for at least one hundred and fifty minutes per week lived, on average, an extra seven years when compared to people who were both inactive and obese or overweight.
Exercises to Try
Are you inspired by this study to try and lengthen your own life expectancy by getting out and exercising more? If so, then there are many different exercise types which you could try to get you started. Contrary to popular belief, there’s no need to take on intense and grueling workouts if you want to reap all the benefits of regular exercise. Brisk walking, for example, can be easily done for around ten minutes per day and you’ll still see a lot of great health benefits. Or, if you’re up for more of a challenge, then getting a bicycle and cycling to work can work wonders for your health and fitness levels. Yoga is also a great exercise to try since it can be done from the comfort of your home and offers some great opportunities for a future career with yoga teacher training.
The Role of Nutrition
Along with exercising to stay fit, it’s important to keep in mind that nutrition also has a large role to play when it comes to increasing life expectancy by improving fitness levels overall. To reap the benefits of your new, fitter lifestyle, then it’s important to get the right nutrition and ensure that you are eating the right foods in your diet. For the best results, you should aim to eat a healthy, balanced diet that is rich in fresh fruits and vegetables, lean proteins, and whole grains. Avoid fast food or convenience foods since these are very high in sugar, salt and fat, which will make it more difficult for you to improve your health when exercising more.
Do you want to live a long, prosperous and healthy life? If so, then exercising regularly is key to staying fit and improving your life expectancy