Short vs. Long Training: Which Is Better?

As experts know more about our bodies, new research emerges and provides supporting evidence. A new study found that short bursts of movement, like walking up and down stairs or walking the dog a little longer than usual, can lead to a longer life.

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 through step tracking apps and wearables that monitored the progress of thousands of women from 2011 to 2015.

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Photo by Karsten Winegeart via Unsplash

“Advances in technology over the past few decades have made it possible for researchers to measure short bursts of activity. While in the past we limited ourselves to measuring only activities that people could remember on a questionnaire, ”explained the study’s lead author, Christopher C. Moore, MS. “With the help of wearable devices, more research suggests that any kind of movement is better than staying sedentary.”

According to researchers, “subjects who took more steps in short bursts lived longer, regardless of how many steps they took in longer, uninterrupted fights. The benefits leveled off in short bursts at 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 percent decrease in deaths during the follow-up period. “

Like many new studies and fitness approaches, this information shows that small changes like parking the car farther away from your destination or walking daily can make a difference. This knowledge can help change the way people approach fitness and make it more accessible as anyone can, no matter how busy their day is or whether they think they’re athletic or not.

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

Workout recommendations and guidelines can be demoralizing and interpreted as signs that you are doing something wrong. Studies like this show that exercise is important at the end of the day.