Heart disease is the main cause of death for men and women in the United States, so maintaining cardiovascular health is of great importance. Past studies have proven that healthy diet and regular exercise can effectively reduce the risk of cardiovascular disease, while the latest research shows that even short and high-strength activities can have a significant impact on heart health. For busy modern people, this discovery brings new hope.
This study was published in the British Journal of Sports Medicine, and analyzed more than 103,000 adult recipients from the UK Biobank, with an average age of 61 years old. Participants wore activity trackers for seven consecutive days from 2013 to 2015. The researchers used data to analyze whether these people had "high intensity intermittent lifestyle" (VILPA), or short but intense physical activities in daily life.
{The results show that if female participants who do not have fixed exercise perform an average of 3 or 4 minutes of high-strength activity per day, the risk of major cardiovascular diseases (such as heart disease and medium wind) will be reduced by 45%, the risk of heart disease development by 51%, and the risk of heart failure by 67%. Researchers say VILPA may be an effective strategy for preventing cardiovascular disease, especially for women who are unable or unwilling to engage in formal sports.Although this study was conducted in the UK, experts believe that its results are also applicable to the United States and other countries. "Cardiovascular disease remains the world's leading death and health threat, so discovering feasible and sustainable dry preparatory methods is important for public health," said Rigved Tadwalkar, a cardiologist.
Research has found that even high-strength movements with extremely short periods of time can significantly reduce the risk of cardiovascular disease. Only 1 or 2 minutes of short activities a day can reduce the risk of major cardiovascular diseases by 30%, reduce the risk of heart failure by 40%, and reduce the risk of heart disease by 33%.
Dor Lotan, a cardiologist at the New York Senior Hospital/European Medical Center at the University of Columbia, said: "This study further supports the cumulative health benefits brought by short-term, regular body activities. Previous studies have also found that even fragmented walking breaks can reduce the risk of cardiovascular disease in the long run."
How to increase short-term and high-strength activities in daily life?The study has not recorded the participants' movements, but experts suggest that "small habit cultivation" can increase daily activities, such as:
Climb the stairs at a faster pace and walk quickly when you call, rather than sitting and talking to buy them by hand. In place of a car, a bag performs several sets of jumps or squats during the day at a faster rhythm. These behaviors are short, high-strength activities, and the key is to increase the heart rate and make the body slightly breathless, but not overspread. Dr. Dor Lotan suggested: "Step quickly for a few minutes starting today and make this a daily habit. Your heart will thank you!"