Walk, jog, yoga: Every bit of exercise counts and helps improve your health, reduces your risk for chronic disease

Walking for thirty-five minutes, jogging for one session, or attending a yoga class every week helps improve your health and lowers your risk for chronic disease, according to reports by The Daily Mail.

A new study from the American Cancer Society reveals that even just five minutes of walking a day can lower the risk of a premature death, as reported by The Daily Mail.

The researchers examined data from about 140,000 people with an average age of 70 years old. They discovered that people who regularly engaged in a physical activity, even at a minimum amount, were more likely to live longer than those who were not physically active at all.

The study suggested that walking, even if done less than the suggested amount, reduced the risk of chronic diseases, such as cancer, respiratory, and cardiovascular diseases. Those who only walked for more than six hours each week had a 35 percent lower chance of dying from a respiratory disease. Moreover, there was a nine percent lower risk of an early death due to cancer for those who walked and a reduction of 20 percent for cardiovascular disease.

“Walking has been described as the “perfect exercise” because it is simple, free, convenient, doesn’t require any special equipment or training, and can be done at any age,” said Alpa Patel, lead author of the study.

Another study from the HG SMS Hospital in India discovered that one yoga class and one jogging session each week could reduce the risk of cardiovascular disease, according to another report by The Daily Mail.

The study focused on the effect of the combination of yoga and aerobic exercise on a person’s blood pressure, body mass index, and cholesterol levels. The study evaluated 750 patients who were diagnosed with coronary heart disease. The study participants were divided into three groups: a group of 225 participants who did aerobic exercise, another group of 240 participants who were engaged in yoga, and the third group of 285 subjects who participated in both yoga and aerobic exercise. They all did their assigned physical activity for three, six-month sessions.

Results revealed that the groups who engaged in yoga only and aerobic exercise only both had lower blood pressure, total cholesterol, triglycerides, LDL, weight, and waist circumference. On the other hand, the group which engaged in both yoga and aerobic exercise had twice as much reductions compared to the other groups. In addition, improvement in the left ventricular ejection fraction, diastolic function, and exercise capacity were seen in the groups.

The researchers chose yoga as one of the exercise because it involves the strengthening of the body, mind, and soul. Yoga concentrates on connecting the mind to the body through poses and deep breathing, which can reduce heart pressure and stress.

“Combined Indian yoga and aerobic exercise reduce mental, physical, and vascular stress and can lead to decreased cardiovascular mortality and morbidity,” said researchers Sonal Tanwar, a preventive cardiology scholar, and Naresh Sen, a consultant cardiologist. “Heart disease patients could benefit from learning Indian yoga and making it a routine part of daily life.”

The study was presented at the 8^th Emirates Cardiac Society Congress in collaboration with the American College of Cardiology Middle East Conference.

The World Health Organization recommends that adults should do at least 150 minutes of moderate physical activity in a week, or do at least 75 minutes of vigorous physical activity per week. However, at least 80 percent of adults around the world are not physically active enough. (Related: Physical Activity Improves Longevity: It is Never Too Late to Start.)

Read more news about the health benefits of exercise at Prevention.news.

Sources include:

DailyMail.co.uk 1

DailyMail.co.uk 2

WHO.int