Any activity, from jogging to snoozing, can lower risk of heart disease and stroke. But exercise remains the best way to protect heart health, study suggestsIt's good news for afternoon nappers but bad news for couch potatoes – even sleeping is better for you than sitting down, new research suggests.
Exercise remains the best way to protect heart health, they said, and swapping time spent sitting down can lead to lower cholesterol levels, a healthier weight and smaller waistlines. Switching as little as four to 12 minutes per day from sedentary behaviour into moderate or vigorous physical activity saw benefits in all areas.
Blood sugar levels were also lower if people spent more time exercising, standing, or sleeping than being sedentary, according to the findings published in the European Heart Journal.To stay healthy, adults aged 19 to 64 should try to be active daily and should do:A good rule is that 1 minute of vigorous activity provides the same health benefits as 2 minutes of moderate activity.
'The most beneficial change we observed was replacing sitting with moderate to vigorous activity - which could be a run, a brisk walk, or stair climbing - basically any activity that raises your heart rate and makes you breathe faster, even for a minute or two.' The researchers pointed out that although time spent doing vigorous activity was the quickest way to improve heart health, small changes could also have an impact if done for longer.
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