Dr Michael Mosley on the benefits of exercise
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Physical inactivity is a big health concern worldwide. Guidelines in the UK recommend regular muscle-strengthening activities for adults. The World Health Organization (WHO), too, suggests that adults perform some form of strength training at least twice a week. As a matter of fact, engaging in such activities increases and preserves skeletal muscle strength.
Doing 30 minutes of muscle-strengthening each week could help live a longer life.
Strengthening activities are anything from weight lifting at the gym to heavy gardening at home.
These could target the whole body, as well as specific body parts when practising other sports.
Aside from improving general health and mobility, this type of exercise lowers the risk of death, research suggests.
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A recent review on the benefits of muscular training argues that improved muscle strength is linked with a lower risk of mortality.
It is also shown to reduce the risk of developing cardiovascular disease and cancer.
In general, muscle-strengthening activities are associated with a 10–17 percent lower risk of all-cause mortality, cardiovascular disease (CVD), diabetes, and lung cancer.
While committing to 30-60 minutes of strength training per week could increase risk reduction to 20 percent.
There are different types of strength training.
These include muscle building, muscular endurance, and circuit training.
Depending on the type of training, various equipment can be used, such as dumbbells, resistance bands, or objects around the house.
Using bodyweight and the force of gravity is a great and simple option too. Pushups, squats, planks, lunges, and pullups are all exercises that require no equipment.
The NHS also recommends a few simple home-based exercises for people of all ages.
These can be mini-squats performed by holding onto the back of a chair, calf raises, and sideways leg lifts.
Wall press-ups can be done by standing at arm’s length from the wall.
While a few bicep curls can be performed with equally-weighted objects from around the house.
Muscle training has also a series of overall health benefits.
Aside from making people stronger, it helps boost metabolism and decrease visceral fat.
It also improves cardiovascular health by decreasing blood pressure, lowering bad cholesterol levels, and increasing insulin sensitivity.
Regular strength exercises also reduce anxiety and improve mental wellbeing, which is key to living a longer life.
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