Think you don’t enough time to work out? Think again. New research published in the Journal of the American College of Cardiology says that running for just 5 minutes a day could reduce your risk of dying from heart disease by 45 percent.
Researcher Duck-Chul Lee, an Iowa State University assistant professor of Kinesiology, now says this study may motivate more people to get off the coach–and stay active.
“Because time is one of the strongest barriers to participate in physical activity, this study may motivate more people to start running and continue to run as an attainable health goal,” says Lee. “For healthy people, running may be a better exercise option than less intense activities like walking, because running produces similar health benefits in terms of a reduced risk of death, in a shorter amount of time.”
To complete their analysis, researchers recruited more than 55,000 American adults living in Texas, who were quizzed about their daily running habits. Only about one-fourth of the participants were active runners, whereas the rest lived a more sedentary lifestyle.
Next, researchers asked the runners more detailed information about their runs–such as how long they ate, the average speed, and the frequency.
Analyzing the data, researchers found that just running only 5 to 10 minutes a day still has serious health benefits, reducing their risk of dying from heart disease by 45 percent. Better yet, it even decreased their risk of dying from any cause by 30 percent.
Of course, those who didn’t run didn’t reap these same benefits, say researchers.
“[I] was surprised that higher amounts of running did not confer a larger reduction in a person’s risk of death,” says Lee. “It’s possible that higher amounts of running may have negative effects for some people, such as a risk of heart-rhythm problems or injury to muscles and bone.”
However, Lee warns that it’s not a good idea for sedentary people to suddenly start running to better their chances of heart disease survival. Injuries are more likely to occur when sedentary people try high-intensity exercise right off the bat, so starting off with something easier, such as walking, is a better transition into an active lifestyle.
What You Should Do
If you’re pressed for time, don’t count exercise out just yet–a simple 5 minute run could still wield serious health benefits. To keep your risk of dying from heart disease to a minimum, aim to run at least 5 to 10 minutes a day, but don’t run too much, as overexertion can also put a strain on your heart.
“Running is good for your health, but more may not be better,” says Lee. “You don’t have to think it’s a big challenge. We found that even 10 minutes per day is good enough. You don’t need to do a lot to get the benefits from running.”
Readers: How often do you run or jog?
Sources:
Study: Running For Just 5 Minutes a Day Cuts Risk of Death From Heart Disease By Nearly Half – MedicalNewsToday.com
Running Daily Reduces Your Risk of Death From Heart Disease – TIME.com
Running 5 Minutes a Day Still Has Heart Benefits, Say Researchers – LiveScience.com
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