When it comes to exercise, we know that more is better. But researchers at Taiwan’s National Health Research Institutes have found that just 15 minutes a day can add years to your life.
The researchers examined the exercise habits of 400,000 people who participated in a screening program from 1996 to 2008. Those people who exercised for 90 minutes a week were 14 percent less likely to have died at the eight-year follow-up, compared with those who were sedentary. Researchers also found that every 15 minutes of additional exercise reduced that risk by 4 percent.
The World Health Organization recommends that adults ages 18 to 54 exercise at least 150 minutes a week. Although it estimates that one-third of Americans meet that goal, it says that only one-fifth of the people living in China, Japan, and Taiwan do.
This is the first study to show that 15 minutes of exercise is better than no exercise at all. Anyone can find 15 spare minutes. If you are among those who say they don’t have time to exercise, you’d best cross that excuse off your list.
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