A study changes our vision of exercise: 5 minutes a day of intense effort would be enough to lower blood pressure! Cardiac benefits within reach, we tell you everything…
What if just 5 minutes of exercise a day could do wonders for your heart? This is the surprising conclusion of a new study that promises to revolutionize our approach to physical activity. No more long cardio sessions, make way for short but intense efforts to keep your blood pressure at peak!
Express cardiac benefits
Published in the journal Circulationthis study compiled data from nearly 15,000 participants around the world. Equipped with accelerometers for a full week, their every move was recorded. Result: replacing just 5 minutes of sedentary time with vigorous physical activity would reduce systolic pressure by 0.7 mmHg and diastolic pressure by 0.5 mmHg on average.
By pushing exercise to 27 minutes daily, researchers even estimate that the risk of cardiovascular disease could drop by 28%. Figures that make you want to get moving!
Stop sedentary lifestyle
Although these 5 minutes may seem insignificant, they are in reality crucial to counter the harmful effects of an overly sedentary lifestyle. Sitting for hours puts a strain on our heart, promotinghigh blood pressure and cardiovascular disorders.
Every minute of intense effort counts to preserve the health of our arteries
– Dr Emmanuel Stamatakis, lead author of the study
You don't have to be a great athlete to benefit from it. Running after your bus, taking the stairs two at a time or doing a few jumping jacks, all these little daily challenges make your mind climb. heartbeat and stimulate our cardiovascular system.
Rethink your sports routine
The study highlights the importance of varying pleasures when it comes todaily physical activity. If walking at a moderate pace remains excellent for overall health, it would benefit from being punctuated by small peaks of intensity for an optimal effect on the pression sanguine.
- Incorporate sprints during your jogging
- Opt for high-intensity exercises like jumping rope
- Alternate fast and slow phases during your walk
The objective is to put more strain on the heart and lungs over short periods, to obtain lasting benefits on the blood pressure. A real boost that can adapt to all profiles, including the less sporty!
Prevention rather than cure
In France, nearly one in three adults suffers from high blood pressure according to Santé Publique France. An alarming figure when we know that this silent pathology increases the risk of heart attacks and stroke.
Faced with this observation, focus on prevention is essential. And the 5 minutes of daily exercise highlighted by this study could well be a key element, accessible to everyone. Enough to encourage us to review our priorities and slip these little sporting breaks into our busy schedules!
In summary
Lowering your blood pressure does not necessarily require long hours of exercise. According to this new study, 5 minutes a day of vigorous exercise would already be very beneficial for the heart. A good reason to awaken the sportsman in us, to stay in shape and prevent the dangers ofhypertension. What if we got started today?
