Are Short Workouts Better Than Long Workouts? That’s what experts say

As experts learn and understand more about how our bodies work, new research emerges and provides evidence. Recently, researchers found that short bursts of movement like going up and down the stairs or going a little farther to get to your destination can result in a longer lifespan.

This information was presented at the American Heart Association’s 2021 Conference on Epidemiology, Prevention, Lifestyle, and Cardiometabolic Health. This meeting features the latest scientific developments on health and wellness and how it affects people’s lives. The presented data was collected via step tracking apps and wearables that monitored the progress of thousands of women from 2011 to 2015.

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“Thanks to technological advances over the past few decades, researchers have been able to measure brief bursts of activity. While in the past we limited ourselves to measuring only activities that humans could remember on a questionnaire, “said lead study author Christopher C. Moore, MS.” With the help of portable devices, more research indicates that any species moving is better than staying seated. “

According to researchers, “subjects who took more steps in short bursts lived longer, regardless of how many steps they took in longer, uninterrupted struggles. The benefits decreased in short steps to around 4,500 steps per day. Compared to no daily steps, each initial increase of 1,000 steps per day was associated with a 28% decrease in death during the follow-up period. “

Like many recent studies and approaches to fitness, this information shows that small changes like parking your car farther from your destination or walking daily can make a little difference. This knowledge can help change the way people approach fitness and make it more accessible, just as anyone can, regardless of how busy their days are or whether they consider themselves athletic or not.

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“It doesn’t necessarily have to be something planned or time for it,” said cardiologist Dr. Seth Martin today. “It can only be achieved by living life, taking the stairs and going further distances from the car. It all adds up during the day. It’s sometimes surprising how quickly steps add up, a little here and a little there. “

Workout recommendations and guidelines can be demoralizing and interpreted as indicators that you are doing something wrong. Studies like this one show that at the end of the day, it’s important to get moving.