Written By: Tania Tarafdar | Published : January 18, 2015 2:23 PM IST
A brisk walk of 20-minutes a day can be related to your life expectancy. Nobody likes to grow old but it is inevitable. Researchers at University of Cambridge have carried out a study analysing over 334,000 European men and women and found that brisk walking for 20 minutes daily can actually add years to your life. The study also found that twice as many deaths may be attributable to lack of physical activity compared with the number of deaths attributable to obesity.
Running has several health benefits that can delay the process. Several studies have confirmed that exercising can reverse ageing and running is one of the best forms of exercise you can do.Walking with moderate speed using the same energy as intensive running can be beneficial in reducing high blood pressure, high cholesterol and diabetes risks. Also read 9 ways running can keep you fit and healthy.
Professor Ulf Ekelund from the Medical Research Council (MRC) Epidemiology Unit at University of Cambridge was quoted as saying: We found that just 20 minutes would make a difference. Physical activity has many proven health benefits and should be an important part of our daily life . For this, researchers analysed data across Europe participating in the European Prospective Investigation into Cancer and Nutrition (EPIC) Study. Doing exercise equivalent to just a 20 minute brisk walk each day would take an individual from the inactive to moderately inactive group and reduce their risk of premature death by between 16-30 percent.
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