As it turns out, you don’t need long workouts to improve your health.<\/p>\n
Just a few minutes of more intense activity each day may help lower your risk of serious diseases.<\/p>\n
That\u2019s according to a study published March 29 in the European Heart Journal<\/a>, which looked at data from nearly 100,000 people.<\/p>\n Researchers found that people who included more vigorous activity in their daily routines had lower risks of several major conditions, including heart disease<\/a>, Type 2 diabetes<\/a> and dementia.<\/p>\n The study tracked folks for seven years and found strong benefits, even with short bursts of activity.<\/p>\n Compared to people who did not move virorously, those with the highest levels had:<\/p>\n
A 63% lower risk of dementia<\/p>\n
A 60% lower risk of Type 2 diabetes<\/p>\n
A 46% lower risk of early death<\/p>\n
These benefits were seen even when the total time spent on intense activity was pretty low.<\/p>\n Even everyday moments such as running to catch a bus or climbing stairs quickly were linked to better health.<\/p>\n \u201cVigorous physical activity appears to trigger specific responses in the body that lower-intensity activity cannot fully replicate,\u201d researcher Minxue Shen<\/a>, a professor of public health at Central South University in Hunan, China, said in a news release.<\/p>\n He explained that this type of activity \u2014 the kind that leaves you out of breath \u2014 can help the heart work more efficiently, improve blood flow and reduce inflammation.<\/p>\n It may also support brain health, which could help explain the lower risk of dementia.<\/p>\n The study found that intensity played a bigger role for some conditions than others.<\/p>\n
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