It’s no news that exercise is good for your health. A new study by a research team at the University of Cambridge, which analyzed data from 30 million people, shows just how beneficial it is. According to the study, just under 11 minutes of moderate exercise a day can prevent one in ten premature deaths.

This means that just 75 minutes of exercise per week significantly reduces the risk of developing cardiovascular disease or cancer. Even though tips like “take the stairs instead of the elevator” or “get off one stop earlier” have been around for ages, they make perfect sense in this context. That way, we can do something ourselves to add more days to our lives.

150 to 300 minutes of exercise per week reduces the risk of death by up to 31 percent

The outlook for a long life is even better for people who at least double or even quadruple this minimum recommendation. 150 to 300 minutes—that’s between 20 and 40 minutes of moderate exercise a day—reduces the risk of death by up to 31 percent.

More intense training saves time

Those who train intensely instead of moderately may not gain more life expectancy, but they can halve the time they spend exercising. 75 minutes of intense training achieves the same effect as 150 minutes of moderate exercise. However, intense training also increases the risk of injury, which can reverse the positive effect.

If you don’t use it, you lose it

Many people are not really aware of how much a sedentary lifestyle harms their bodies over time. From the age of 30, muscle tissue is physiologically converted into fat tissue at a rate of 0.3 to 1.3 percent per year. If this process—also known as sarcopenia—is not vigorously countered with light exercise, around 30 to 50 percent of muscle mass will be lost by the age of 80. The consequences are dramatic: frailty, weakness, and balance problems that can lead to falls and fractures.

Bones break more easily

Bones that are not put under stress lose density—following the principle: use it or lose it! The less bone mass there is, the more easily bones break. A lack of exercise therefore greatly increases the risk of osteoporosis. Bones that are exercised regularly do not wear down; on the contrary, they become stronger.

Organs suffer

Our heart is a muscle that also needs regular exercise to maintain its function. If we give it nothing to do, it atrophies and its pumping capacity decreases. The liver also suffers from a lack of exercise—a fatty liver is often the result of a sedentary lifestyle.

Blood vessels deteriorate

It’s no coincidence that sitting is called the “new smoking.” Inactivity, like cigarette smoke, worsens the condition of blood vessels. Too little exercise causes blood vessels to stiffen and, like smoking, increases the risk of cardiovascular diseases such as atherosclerosis or high blood pressure.

Low mood

Many doctors now “prescribe” exercise to treat depression. Many studies show that exercise is effective in reducing stress and lifting your mood. That’s a significant reason to be more active.

Exercise doesn’t just extend life—it also improves quality of life

Nobel Prize winner Alexis Carrel said, “Longevity is only desirable if it prolongs youth, not if it merely prolongs old age.” Since the beginning of the 19th century, human life expectancy has almost doubled. Modern medicine has raised it from an average of 44 years to over 80 years in the 21st century. This does not mean that people also live healthily for 80 years. Many people suffer from significant health limitations during the last years (or decades) of their lives. Everyone can do their best to counteract this, too:

Because moderate daily exercise not only helps add more years to life, but also more life to those years!

Exercise that feels good and doesn’t hurt

• Walking
• Hiking
• Cycling
• Swimming
• Cross-country skiing

Moderate training

means moderate physical activity such as brisk walking, light hiking, cycling, or swimming, during which you breathe a little harder but can still hold a conversation.

This style of training is not very strenuous and can therefore be continued for longer. Your heart rate will be between 60 and 70 percent of your maximum heart rate (rule of thumb for maximum heart rate: 220 minus your age. It is better to determine your maximum heart rate with a stress ECG at your doctor’s office).

Intense training

requires maximum effort over a shorter period (5 to 30 minutes), as is the case with High-Intensity Interval Training (HIIT), CrossFit, or sprinting. It usually aims to build muscle and strength or achieve specific performance improvements for competitions. Intense training pushes you to and beyond the limits of your physical capabilities. This type of training is not suitable for everyone.