11 Minutes A Day Of Brisk Walking Could Cut Your Risk Of Dying Early

As little as 11 minutes a day of moderate intensity exercise could cut your risk of heart disease, stroke and several cancers, according to a new large study.

That's just 75 minutes a week, and with warmer spring temperatures arriving, we'll have fewer excuses not to take a brisk walk.

The current Physical Activity Guidelines for Americans say adults should do at least 150 minutes a week of moderate intensity physical activity for substantial health benefits.

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The new study, published this week in the British Journal of Sports Medicine, found one in 10 early deaths could be prevented if everyone managed to get just half that amount.

“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," study author Dr. Soren Brage of the University of Cambridge said in a news release.

Moderate intensity physical activity raises your heart rate and makes you breathe faster, but you should still be able to speak during the activity. Examples include brisk walking, hiking, dancing, riding a bike or playing tennis.

The researchers pooled and analyzed results from 196 peer-reviewed articles, covering more than 30 million participants, to come up with their new findings.

In addition to reducing premature deaths, if everyone managed at least 75 minutes each week of moderate intensity activity, one in 20 cases of cardiovascular disease and nearly one in 30 cases of cancer would be prevented, according to the study.

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“We know that physical activity, such as walking or cycling, is good for you, especially if you feel it raises your heart rate. But what we’ve found is there are substantial benefits to heart health and reducing your risk of cancer even if you can only manage 10 minutes every day,” said Cambridge professor James Woodcock.

Brage said, "If you find that 75 minutes a week is manageable, then you could try stepping it up gradually to the full recommended amount.”

For the overachievers out there, going beyond 150 minutes per week of moderate intensity activity produced only marginal additional benefits in terms of reduced risk of disease or early death, the study found.

Another of the study's authors said moderate activity doesn't have to be something we normally think of as exercise, like sports or running.

“Sometimes, replacing some habits is all that is needed," said Dr. Leandro Garcia of Queen’s University Belfast. "For example, try to walk or cycle to your work or study place instead of using a car, or engage in active play with your kids or grandkids. Doing activities that you enjoy and that are easy to include in your weekly routine is an excellent way to become more active.”

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