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A study published in the european journal of the heartanalyzed nearly 72,000 participants who wore fitness trackers that provided data on exercise intensity and found that those with the lowest rates of cardiovascular disease were those who consistently participated in higher-intensity activities.
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Vigorous physical activity can be measured by the speech test (you only need to be able to say a few words), and just around 15 to 20 minutes per week was associated with up to a 40 percent lower risk of mortality.
the physical activity guidelines for Americans from the US Department of Health and Human Services suggests that adults should get at least 150 minutes of moderate intensity exercise o 75 minutes of vigorous activity each week. But new research suggests that if you choose only that first option, you may be missing out on an important way to reduce your risk of cardiovascular disease.
The study, published in the european journal of the heart, looked at nearly 72,000 participants wearing fitness trackers that provided data on exercise intensity. This is important because most large-scale studies of exercise intensity and volume tend to be based on participant questionnaires, according to lead author Paddy Dempsey, Ph.D., a researcher at the University of Leicester in the United Kingdom.
He said Bicycling that it is difficult for people to remember all of their activities accurately, particularly with everyday tasks that are not classified as exercise. For example, running to catch the bus would be a way of vigorous intensity activitybut would probably not be recorded on a self-report questionnaire.
Using these data, the researchers compared the frequency and intensity of activity with the development of cardiovascular disease over a period of almost seven years. They found that total physical volume was strongly associated with a decrease in cardiovascular disease risk, and that connection was particularly strong in those who regularly engaged in moderate to vigorous physical activity. Participants with the lowest rates of cardiovascular disease were those who consistently performed higher-intensity activity.
Vigorous physical activity of around 15 to 20 minutes per week was associated with up to a 40 percent reduction in mortality at the end of the follow-up period, compared with those with lower volume and exercise intensity who did not see this advantage.
“What we found is that there are considerable benefits that are well below the currently recommended 75 minutes per week of vigorous physical activity,” Dempsey said. “Even just 15 minutes can make a difference.”
This is an important finding, he added, because previous research suggests that only 20 percent of middle-aged to older adults report engaging in any vigorous exercise for at least 15 minutes continuously. But a workout doesn’t need to be continuous, she said.
“Our results show that short episodes lasting up to two minutes, when performed four times a day, were associated with a substantially lower mortality risk,” he said. “These can stimulate the cardiorespiratory system and lead to measurable cardiovascular adaptations.”
Another recent study reached similar conclusions. published in the magazine Circulation, and looking at around 95,000 participants who used fitness trackers over a two-year period, the researchers found that modest amounts of moderate-to-vigorous exercise reduced heart failure risk—but that the more vigorous the activity of the participants, the greater the risk reduction.
How can you apply this to your next trip? The definition of moderate to vigorous intensity is individualized, based on comment in the newspaper Frontiers in physiology. A simple way to measure is through the conversation test—When doing vigorous activity, you won’t be able to say more than a few words without pausing to catch your breath. Using that as a guide, doing some speed races for at least a few minutes could give your heart a welcome boost and possibly improve your cycling performancealso.
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