Latest news with #EmmanuelStamatakis
Yahoo
2 hours ago
- Health
- Yahoo
New Study Shows Doing This for 3 Minutes a Day Can Lower Your Risk of Heart Disease
Heart disease is the leading cause of death in the U.S., according to the Centers of Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). Besides quitting smoking, eating a nutritious diet and maintaining a healthy weight, getting regular exercise is one of the best things you can do to help lower your risk of cardiovascular disease, diabetes, hypertension, obesity and even increase your longevity. But a new study shows you don't have to partake in structured workouts to protect your ticker. In fact, researchers found short bursts — as little as three minutes a day — of moderate to vigorous incidental physical activity (IPA) may cut the risk of a having a major adverse cardiovascular event, such as a heart attack or stroke, in is incidental physical activity? Think of it as physical movement that's not considered leisure or recreational exercise, says lead study author Emmanuel Stamatakis, Ph.D., a professor of physical activity, lifestyle and population health at the University of Sydney's Charles Perkins Centre in Camperdown, Australia. 'Incidental physical activity is what we do on autopilot in our daily lives, when we move from place to place, perform domestic tasks and do things at work,' Stamatakis explains. Some examples include taking the stairs, carrying groceries, bursts of fast walking, housecleaning (mopping, vacuuming, scrubbing) and vigorous gardening. It may surprise you, but only 24.2% of adults in the U.S. get the recommended 150 minutes of weekly moderate-intensity aerobic activity (such as brisk walking) and two days of muscle-strengthening activity (like lifting weights) each week. Because so many people aren't getting enough exercise, Stamatakis and his team wanted to find out what, if any, long-term cardiovascular benefits could come solely through incidental physical activity. What the study found The researchers looked at data from more than 24,000 adults, aged 40 to 79, who were all non-exercisers and free of heart disease. During the course of seven days, which included three weekdays and one weekend day, the participants wore a wristband accelerometer, which provided a daily detailed summary of any light (washing the dishes, walking the dog, a stroll to the photocopier), moderate (brisk walking, playing tag, moving, carrying, or pushing around things like a lawnmower) and vigorous (short jog, quickly climbing stairs, or more intense gardening like hoeing or digging up weeds) incidental physical activity. A follow-up with the study subjects eight years later revealed the effects of the various levels of IPA in regards to cardiovascular risk. The median dose of vigorous (4.6 minutes a day) and moderate (23.8 to 23.9 minutes a day) incidental physical activity was associated with 25% to 38% and 40% to 50% lower risk of cardiovascular events (including deaths), respectively. In terms of preventing heart disease deaths and major cardiovascular events, the researchers learned that 1 minute of vigorous IPA was equal to 2.8 to 3.4 minutes of moderate IPA and 35 to 48 minutes of light IPA. Essentially, 3 minutes of moderate activity every day while you're doing chores could lower your risk for heart problems. What this means for you All in all, the message is very clear, according to Stamatakis. 'Know that no movement is wasted and all of it counts. Use any opportunity in life to move at higher intensity, like using stairs instead of elevators or parking your car further away,' he says. 'You'll improve the function of your heart and vessels and your body will respond positively.' A good rule of thumb of how to determine what's light, moderate and what's vigorous incidental physical activity is to use the singing, speaking rule, suggests Stamatakis. 'If someone can comfortably sing or speak while doing activity that means it's light intensity, when people are doing moderate activity, you can still speak, but singing isn't possible anymore, and when you hit vigorous intensity, you shouldn't be able to speak or sing while doing it,' he explains. The bottom line Yes, the study shows shorter spurts of activity can help protect your heart, but that doesn't mean you should give up exercising on the regular. You should still aim to get at least 150 minutes of moderate-intensity aerobic activity a week and when your schedule is tight, amp up the intensity of your everyday chores. You Might Also Like 67 Best Gifts for Women That'll Make Her Smile The Best Pillows for Every Type of Sleeper
Time of India
01-07-2025
- Health
- Time of India
Want to lower blood pressure naturally? Experts recommend THESE exercises for five minutes a day
A recent international study by the ProPASS Consortium reveals that even five minutes of daily exercise can significantly lower blood pressure, a major risk factor for chronic diseases. Replacing sedentary time with 20-27 minutes of activities like uphill walking or cycling can further reduce cardiovascular disease risk by up to 28%. High blood pressure, also known as hypertension, is one of the leading causes of chronic illnesses, including heart disease, stroke, and kidney failure, worldwide. A 'silent killer', high blood pressure does not show any signs or symptoms until it is diagnosed. This is why managing blood pressure is crucial. A new study has found that one can lower blood pressure naturally through five minutes of exercise. A new study conducted by the ProPASS (Prospective Physical Activity, Sitting and Sleep) Consortium, an international academic collaboration led by the University of Sydney and University College London (UCL), found that even five minutes of exercise a day can lower blood pressure. The findings are published in Circulation . How to lower blood pressure naturally The researchers found that even small lifestyle changes, such as incorporating a few minutes of exercise, can lower blood pressure. Even a small amount of physical activity, such as uphill walking or stair-climbing, may help to lower blood pressure. The researchers said that while just five minutes of physical activity can lower blood pressure, increasing it can lead to added benefits. Replacing sedentary behaviour with 20-27 minutes of exercise per day, including uphill walking, stair-climbing, running and cycling, can result in a significant reduction in blood pressure. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like Giao dịch CFD với công nghệ và tốc độ tốt hơn IC Markets Đăng ký Undo 'High blood pressure is one of the biggest health issues globally, but unlike some major causes of cardiovascular mortality there may be relatively accessible ways to tackle the problem in addition to medication. The finding that doing as little as five extra minutes of exercise per day could be associated with measurably lower blood pressure readings emphasises how powerful short bouts of higher intensity movement could be for blood pressure management,' Joint senior author Professor Emmanuel Stamatakis, Director of the ProPASS Consortium from the Charles Perkins Centre, said in a statement. What is hypertension Hypertension or high blood pressure is a consistently elevated blood pressure level. It is one of the biggest causes of premature death globally. Hypertension affects 1.28 billion adults around the world, and if left unmanaged, it could lead to stroke, heart attack, heart failure, kidney damage, and many other health problems. The study To understand the effects of exercise on blood pressure, the researchers analysed health data from 14,761 volunteers in five countries. They analyzed how replacing one type of movement behaviour with another across the day helped. The participants were given a wearable device to measure their activity and blood pressure throughout the day and night. The daily activity was split into six categories: sleep, sedentary behaviour (such as sitting), slow walking, fast walking, standing, and more vigorous exercise such as running, cycling or stair climbing. The findings The researchers found that replacing sedentary behaviour with 20-27 minutes of exercise per day can reduce cardiovascular disease by up to 28%. 'Our findings suggest that, for most people, exercise is key to reducing blood pressure, rather than less strenuous forms of movement such as walking. The good news is that whatever your physical ability, it doesn't take long to have a positive effect on blood pressure. What's unique about our exercise variable is that it includes all exercise-like activities, from running for a bus or a short cycling errand, many of which can be integrated into daily routines. For those who don't do a lot of exercise, walking did still have some positive benefits for blood pressure. But if you want to change your blood pressure, putting more demand on the cardiovascular system through exercise will have the greatest effect,' first author Dr Jo Blodgett said. 'Our findings show how powerful research platforms like the ProPASS consortium are for identifying relatively subtle patterns of exercise, sleep, and sedentary behaviour, that have significant clinical and public health importance,' Professor Mark Hamer, joint senior author, added. Get the latest lifestyle updates on Times of India, along with Doctor's Day 2025 , messages and quotes!
Time of India
25-06-2025
- Health
- Time of India
Doing THIS exercise for five minutes a day can lower blood pressure, experts reveal
A recent study by the ProPASS Consortium reveals that even brief bursts of physical activity, as little as five minutes daily, can significantly lower blood pressure. Replacing sedentary habits with 20-27 minutes of exercise, like uphill walking or stair climbing, can also make a clinically significant difference. High blood pressure or hypertension is a major risk factor for several serious health conditions, including heart attack, stroke, heart failure, kidney disease, and other complications. Managing blood pressure is crucial for overall health and well-being. Making certain lifestyle changes can help lower blood pressure, and one of them is regular exercise. A new study has found that even five minutes of physical activity can help manage blood pressure! According to research led by experts from the ProPASS (Prospective Physical Activity, Sitting and Sleep) Consortium, an international academic collaboration led by the University of Sydney and University College London (UCL), even small amount of physical activity, such as uphill walking or stair-climbing, can lower blood pressure. The findings are published in Circulation . What is hypertension Hypertension, or a consistently elevated blood pressure level, is one of the biggest causes of premature death globally. This condition affects 1.28 billion adults around the world. High blood pressure happens when the force of the blood pushing against the walls of the blood vessels is too high. It can lead to stroke, heart attack, heart failure, kidney damage, and many other health problems. Due to the lack of any symptoms, it is often described as a 'silent killer'. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like 2025 Top Trending local enterprise accounting software [Click Here] Esseps Learn More Undo Even five minutes of exercise matters Image Credits: Canva The researchers found that just five minutes of activity a day potentially reduces blood pressure. Also, replacing sedentary behaviours with 20-27 minutes of exercise per day made a clinically significant difference in blood pressure. These activities could be uphill walking, stair-climbing, running and cycling. 'High blood pressure is one of the biggest health issues globally, but unlike some major causes of cardiovascular mortality, there may be relatively accessible ways to tackle the problem in addition to medication. The finding that doing as little as five extra minutes of exercise per day could be associated with measurably lower blood pressure readings emphasises how powerful short bouts of higher intensity movement could be for blood pressure management,' joint senior author Professor Emmanuel Stamatakis, the Director of the ProPASS Consortium from the Charles Perkins Centre, said in a statement. The study To understand how daily movement affects blood pressure, the researchers analyzed health data from 14,761 volunteers across five countries. Each participant used a wearable thigh-mounted accelerometer, which can monitor movement and blood pressure levels throughout the day and night. The researchers split the daily activity into six categories: sleep, sedentary behaviour (such as sitting), slow walking, fast walking, standing, and more vigorous exercise such as running, cycling, or stair climbing. The team used statistical models to see how swapping one activity for another would affect blood pressure . They found that replacing sedentary behaviour with 20-27 minutes of exercise per day could potentially reduce cardiovascular disease by up to 28% at a population level. What are the experts saying 'Our findings suggest that, for most people, exercise is key to reducing blood pressure, rather than less strenuous forms of movement such as walking. The good news is that whatever your physical ability, it doesn't take long to have a positive effect on blood pressure. What's unique about our exercise variable is that it includes all exercise-like activities, from running for a bus or a short cycling errand, many of which can be integrated into daily routines,' first author Dr. Jo Blodgett from the Division of Surgery and Interventional Science at UCL and the Institute of Sport, Exercise and Health said. 'For those who don't do a lot of exercise, walking still has some positive benefits for blood pressure. But if you want to change your blood pressure, putting more demand on the cardiovascular system through exercise will have the greatest effect,' Dr. Blodgett added. Common Blood Pressure Medications Linked to Low Risk of Total Knee Replacement Professor Mark Hamer, joint senior author of the study and ProPASS Deputy Director from UCL, said: 'Our findings show how powerful research platforms like the ProPASS consortium are for identifying relatively subtle patterns of exercise, sleep, and sedentary behaviour, that have significant clinical and public health importance.' One step to a healthier you—join Times Health+ Yoga and feel the change
Time of India
24-06-2025
- Health
- Time of India
Stuck at your desk? Sitting all day could be deadly. Study reveals how much exercise can save your life
If your day revolves around back-to-back Zoom calls, endless emails, and barely moving from your office chair, you're not alone — and not off the hook either. Scientists now say that while desk jobs may be the norm, they don't have to be a death sentence — provided you move, and move with purpose. A 2020 meta-analysis, published in the British Journal of Sports Medicine, has offered some tangible answers to the age-old question: how much exercise does it actually take to cancel out the effects of sitting all day? The 40-Minute Fix for 10-Hour Sitting Marathons According to the study, just 30 to 40 minutes of moderate-to-vigorous intensity physical activity per day can effectively balance out 10 hours of daily sedentary behavior. This isn't just a vague estimate — the research analyzed data from over 44,000 people across four countries, all of whom wore fitness trackers, making this one of the most objective assessments in the field to date. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like Texas: New Roofing Tech Will Cut Roofings Costs in These Zips Metal Roof USA Learn More Undo The researchers concluded: "In active individuals doing about 30-40 minutes of moderate to vigorous intensity physical activity, the association between high sedentary time and risk of death is not significantly different from those with low amounts of sedentary time." So, if you're pedaling on a cycle, walking briskly around your neighborhood, or even vigorously gardening for a good half hour, you're actively undoing the harm done by sitting through long workdays. You Might Also Like: Want to lose weight faster at the gym? Science reveals the most-effective workout order Small Movements, Big Wins While 30–40 minutes of movement is the sweet spot, experts emphasize that any activity counts. The research supports the idea that moving more — even standing periodically — can have a positive effect on health. So whether it's dancing in your kitchen, running after your toddler, or taking the stairs instead of the elevator, every bit matters. In fact, this study was released alongside the World Health Organization's 2020 Global Guidelines on Physical Activity and Sedentary Behaviour. These guidelines recommend 150–300 minutes of moderate activity or 75–150 minutes of vigorous activity per week — perfectly aligned with the meta-analysis findings. Emmanuel Stamatakis, a lead researcher from the University of Sydney, underscored this in the report, noting: "People can still protect their health and offset the harmful effects of physical inactivity." Standing Up Is the First Step The WHO guidelines further suggest rethinking our everyday routines. Walking your dog, cleaning the house, or cycling to the grocery store are all easy, accessible ways to chip away at sedentary habits. If jumping into a 40-minute fitness regime feels overwhelming, researchers say — start small and build gradually. You Might Also Like: Think diet and exercise are enough? Ignoring this one thing still puts your health at risk Interestingly, the study authors acknowledged that there's still a lot to learn. Stamatakis added, "We are still not clear, for example, where exactly the bar for 'too much sitting' is. But this is a fast-paced field of research, and we will hopefully have answers in a few years' time." Takeaway for the Time-Starved Professional The verdict is clear: your desk job doesn't have to be your downfall. With just a 30–40-minute burst of activity daily, you can offset hours of stillness and significantly reduce health risks. So the next time you consider skipping that evening walk or spinning class, remember — your body's best defence against a sedentary lifestyle is movement. Even a little, done consistently, can keep you healthier and happier in the long run. So, stuck at a desk? Lace up your sneakers when the clock hits off. Your life may depend on it. You Might Also Like: Celebrity fitness trainer says mere workouts are not enough to lose weight. Check his pre- and post exercise meal plan
Washington Post
15-04-2025
- Health
- Washington Post
Don't exercise? Moving a bit faster may make you healthier.
If you're not a fan of working out or simply don't have time, we've got good news for you. Doing everyday chores and activities a bit more briskly might lead to big gains in health and longevity, a new study shows. That means you could tweak how you clean your house, climb stairs or run for the bus and get some of the benefits of exercise without a trip to the gym. In the study, published this month in Circulation, researchers analyzed the daily movements of more than 20,000 adults over the course of about a week. None formally exercised. But some moved with more zip than others as they went about their lives, taking the stairs instead of the escalator, for instance, or speed vacuuming their living rooms. The amounts of these everyday exertions were small, the study found, often less than five minutes a day, but the impacts appeared outsized. Those who moved around briskly were as much as half as likely to experience or of a heart attack or stroke in the following years as people who almost always dawdled through their days. The study suggests that 'it's a good idea to find ways to fit exertion into your daily life,' said Emmanuel Stamatakis, a professor at the University of Sydney, who led the study. 'But that doesn't mean you have to actually exercise.' The study advances a growing area of research into whether and how we can be healthy without exercise. For the past few years, Stamatakis and his colleagues have been using data from the immense UK Biobank to explore that issue. The biobank has enrolled tens of thousands of British adults, who provided health information and tissue samples. Many of them also wore advanced activity trackers for a week, which provided detailed readouts of how they spent almost every moment of their days at work and home. In past studies from his lab, Stamatakis and his co-authors analyzed those readouts and related health and death records. They discovered that people who said they never exercised but who often moved around at what scientists call a vigorous pace — meaning they got out of breath as they ran for a bus or sprinted intensely up the stairs — typically developed fewer serious diseases and lived longer than people who rarely, if ever, moved vigorously. But Stamatakis knew, as an exercise scientist, that a lot of people are intimidated by words like vigorous and intense, in the context of exercise and movement. So, for the latest study, he and colleagues decided to see whether gentler forms of everyday activities might also be associated with better health. In simple terms, physical activity can be light, moderate or vigorous, depending on how hard you push yourself. Light-intensity activities feel easy enough that you can chat with someone without puffing and even sing. During moderate activity, you're still able to talk, a little breathlessly, but not sing. When activity grows vigorous, you can barely speak without gasping, and you certainly can't sing. To conduct their study, Stamatakis and his colleagues used algorithmic machine learning to closely analyze movement patterns in 10-second increments and determine whether someone was moving lightly, moderately or vigorously. They used biobank tracker records from 24,139 adults who never formally exercised, then cross-checked against hospital and death data. What they found was that light everyday activities, which might include strolls to pick up lunch or visit the copier, slightly reduced risks for cardiovascular problems and deaths during the next eight years, compared to people who recorded almost zero activity (meaning they remained seated for almost the entire day). But people needed more than two hours a day of light activity to see much benefit. Moderate everyday activity was far more potent. If people spent 24 minutes a day moving around at a moderate pace, their risks of developing or dying from cardiovascular problems dropped by as much as 50 percent. And the most effective dose of vigorous everyday movement was even lower. Barely five minutes a day of pacing around or rushing places while huffing and puffing was associated with nearly 40 percent less likelihood of dying from heart problems. From a practical standpoint, the takeaway of the new study is straightforward, Stamatakis said. 'Look for opportunities' to ramp up the intensity of chores and activities, he said, especially if you don't often exercise. 'Taking the stairs will be moderate activity for most people,' he said. Hurrying up them will be vigorous. Or pick up the pace while you walk, swinging your arms, 'which is what we call sprint walking,' he said, 'and is moderate. Or garden as fast as you can. There are plenty of opportunities to add a little more exertion' to what you're going to be doing anyway. The study has limitations, of course. It mostly involved White, educated Brits. It's also possible that people who move through chores slowly have underlying health problems, predisposing them to heart risks, without any contribution from their daily movements. But the researchers excluded anyone who experienced heart problems in the first year of the study, lessening that possibility. Perhaps most important, the findings aren't meant to discourage exercise. 'You can do both,' Stamatakis said, exercise and push yourself sometimes as you go about your day, assuming that your health and circumstances allow. 'It's quite a good study, both the methodology and the message,' said Martin Gibala, an exercise scientist at McMaster University in Canada, who studies exercise intensity but was not involved with this research. The results suggest that, even if you choose not to exercise, sprinkling a little moderate or vigorous everyday activity into your life 'can have meaningful health effects.'
