Sport but also daily physical activity together with food and lifestyle help maintain health and prevent the onset of heart disease, cerebrovascular accidents, diabetes or various types of cancer, according to the WHO, which also warns that more than a quarter of the world’s adult population does not reach the minimum level of physical activity.
Less well known are the health benefits of people – in this case for those with a sedentary lifestyle – those daily physical movements carried out vigorously, such as walking for two minutes at a fast pace or climbing stairs quick It is called Vilpa (vigorous intermittent lifestyle physical activity). Practicing three or four bursts of this camouflaged activity a day (about 30 minutes a week) can reduce the risk of cardiovascular problems and cancer in middle-aged people, according to a study published in the journal Nature.
“We know that physical exercise practiced during free time in a vigorous way has health benefits, but we are not very aware of the potential that daily movement has,” explains Emmanuel Stamatakis, lead author of the study and professor of physical education, lifestyle and health of the population at the Charles Perkins Center of the University of Sydney (Australia).
Stamatakis affirms in conversation with La Vanguardia that the vast majority of older and middle-aged adults (in many countries more than 70 or 80%) do not exercise in their free time or simply never do. For this non-negligible percentage “we need to understand how they can benefit from the accidental physical activity that takes place in daily routines”, the researcher points out.
“Performing activities at a higher intensity in short bursts has favorable effects on cardiovascular disease and cancer risk factors through improvements in blood pressure, lipid metabolism, improved insulin sensitivity, physical status and immunological function, and inflammation in the lower body,” continues Matthew Ahmadi, another of the study’s authors.
The researchers, who analyzed and monitored more than 25,000 people who took part in the study over seven years and had an average age of almost 62, found that three to four Vilpa sessions a day with a duration of a minute or two a day has long-term benefits.
“The more Vilpa, the better”, encourages Stamatakis, who points out that the evidence of his study found that a pattern of “a minimum of 2 or 3 sessions of 1-2 minutes each” or “7 or 8 more for example 30-45 seconds a day†can improve short-term health outcomes. The important thing is that the bursts become a “habit for life”.
According to the results of the study, it is “plausible to speculate”, explains Stamatakis, that when the Vilpa is repeated regularly “it leads to improvements in cardiorespiratory fitness over time”. And although the benefits of Vilpa are indicated for middle-aged people who don’t exercise, Stamatakis says that the comparisons they made suggest that “vigorous effort is potentially beneficial for sports people as well.
For the cardiologist at the ClÃnic de Barcelona hospital, Eduard Guasch, the benefits of the Vilpa are applicable to sedentary people. For the general population, he points out that it is recommended to complete 150 minutes of “moderate physical activity” a week to obtain health benefits, as recommended by the WHO. And to optimize this benefit, the activity must be carried out for at least 10 minutes in a row. To be able to complete the minimum execution time of this moderate exercise, he recommends looking for everyday moments such as getting off two stops earlier and completing the route on foot. Also climb stairs.
