The Importance Of Physical Activity In Everyday Life

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According to the author of a major new global study, incorporating physical activity into our everyday lives is more likely to protect us from heart disease and an early death than gym membership. 2 The study, published in a UK medical journal, found that one in 20 cases of heart disease and one in 12 premature deaths around the world could be prevented if people were more physically active. It compared 130,000 people in 17 countries, from rich countries like Canada and Sweden to some of the poorest, including Bangladesh and Zimbabwe. 3 Most guidelines recommend 30 minutes of exercise per day for five days a week. While this reduces heart disease and deaths, one to two hours a day is the ideal amount of physical activity, said lead author …show more content…

“The clear results show that exercise truly is the best medicine we have for reducing the chances of an early death,” said Dr James Rudd, a senior lecturer in cardiovascular medicine at the University of Cambridge. “If a drug company came up with a medicine as effective as exercise, they would have a billion-dollar product and would win a Nobel Prize.” 10 “There is a trend for more heart disease in lower income groups both within and between populations,” said John Martin, professor of cardiovascular medicine at University College London. “In the UK, it has been shown that lower social class is associated with more heart disease. Walking is easy and cheap. This study should encourage governments to spend less money on high-tech treatment of heart disease and more on promoting simple strategies of prevention like walking.” 11 Professor Metin Avkiran of the British Heart Foundation said: “In an age where we’re living increasingly busy but often sedentary lives in the West, incorporating physical activity into our daily routines has never been more important, not only to improve our physical health but also overall well-being. Increased physical activity could have an even greater beneficial impact in lower income countries, due to its low cost and the high level of heart disease in those

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