These 11 minutes of your schedule will give you a long and healthy life

We could go on and on about the importance of daily exercise in one’s life, but now studies suggest that as few as 11 minutes a day can reduce the risk of early death. A small tweak in the schedule can help prevent heart disease, stroke and some types of cancers even. This is in comparison to a person who leads a sedentary lifestyle.

In a study published last month in the British Journal of Sports Medicine, the impact of exercise on one’s health was studied. It found that if people exercised for 75 minutes per week, or 11 minutes per day, they could live longer and healthier. The results were of course better for those who can sneak in 150 minutes weekly, or 30 minutes daily, five times a week.

According to the report, close to 16 per cent of all premature deaths could be avoided if people just got up and did some exercises. In a press release, study co-author Soren Brage, PhD, said, “If you are someone who finds the idea of 150 minutes of moderate-intensity physical activity a week a bit daunting, then our findings should be good news. Doing some physical activity is better than doing none.”

The study included data from over 30 million participants.

At the end of it, higher activity levels were associated with lower mortality risks, the study found. The researchers also found that exercise had a bigger impact on certain types of cancers—exercise reduced the risk of head and neck, myeloid leukaemia, myeloma, and gastric cardia cancers more so than it did for lung, liver, endometrial, colon, and breast cancers.

As for heart disease and stroke risk specifically, the study suggests that more frequent exercise puts the cardiovascular system to use, which keeps blood vessels in the practice of contracting and relaxing. This keeps blood pressure and cardiovascular issues in check.