You don’t have to be a runner or do an intense workout to reap the benefits of exercise: a short walk during the day is enough, according to a British analysis.

If everyone got 11 minutes of physical activity every day, one in 10 premature deaths could be prevented.

Most people fail to exercise the minimum recommended amount of time, which is 150 minutes per week. But exercising, even a little, is better than doing nothing at all, according to researchers from the University of Cambridge.

The British National Health Service recommends everyone get 150 to 300 minutes of cardio every week, or 75 to 150 minutes of vigorous activity that makes them pant.

The research team analyzed hundreds of previous studies on the benefits of physical activity and concluded that exercise, even half the recommended duration, is beneficial. can prevent one in 20 cases of cardiovascular disease and almost one in 30 cases of cancer.

11 minutes a day

This equates to 75 minutes of exercise per week, roughly 11 minutes per day of cycling, brisk walking, dancing, or tennis. “You should feel like you are moving, your heart is beating faster, not necessarily out of breath,” the doctor explains. Soren Brahe, Head of Research.

According to the findings, even this short amount of exercise is enough to reduce the risk of heart disease or stroke by 17% and the risk of cancer by 7%. Regular exercise reduces body fat and lowers blood pressure, and in the long run improves fitness, sleep quality, and heart health.

The benefits of exercise were even greater than the risk of some cancers, such as cervical cancer, stomach cancer, and leukemia. In contrast, the differences were small for lung, liver, endometrial, colon, and breast cancers.

Two in three say they exercise less than 150 minutes (2.5 hours), and less than one in 10 exercise more than 300 minutes (five hours) a week. “If the thought of 150 minutes of moderate-intensity physical activity a week scares you, then our findings should sound like good news to you,” says Dr. Brahe. “If you think 75 minutes a week is doable, try increasing it gradually.”