By
Katia Hetter
SAN ANSELMO, CA - MARCH 14: Lita Collins does a deadlift during a CrossFit workout at Ross Valley CrossFit on March 14, 2014 in San Anselmo, California. CrossFit, a high intensity workout regimen that is a constantly varied mix of aerobic exercise, gymnastics and Olympic weight lifting, is one of the fastest growing fitness programs in the world. The grueling cult-like core strength and conditioning program is popular with firefighters, police officers, members of the military and professional athletes. Since its inception in 2000, the number of CrossFit affiliates, or "boxes" has skyrocketed to over 8,500 worldwide with more opening every year. (Photo by Justin Sullivan/Getty Images)
High intensity workouts may lengthen your life
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Move more. Sit less. For many years, that’s been accepted guidance for people wanting to get healthier.
Now that message is getting refined, with a growing body of research suggesting that certain types of movements may be more beneficial than others when it comes to health benefits.
The intensity of your exercise may matter as well. A new study published in the European Heart Journal found that a small amount of vigorous activity may be linked to lower risk of eight different chronic diseases.
The findings raise questions about why intensity matters and how people can incorporate more intense exercise routines into everyday life. To better understand the study’s implications, I spoke with CNN wellness expert Dr. Leana Wen, an emergency physician and clinical associate professor at George Washington University. She previously served as Baltimore’s health commissioner.
Before beginning any new exercise program, consult your doctor. Stop immediately if you experience pain.
CNN: What did this study examine about exercise and its relationship to chronic disease?
Dr. Leana Wen: This investigation looked at how the intensity of physical activity is related to the risk of developing a range of chronic diseases. Researchers analyzed data from two very large groups in the UK Biobank, which is a long-term health study in the United Kingdom that tracks medical and lifestyle information from hundreds of thousands of participants. One group included about 96,000 people who wore wrist activity trackers that objectively measured their movement, and the other included more than 375,000 people who self-reported their activity.
The researchers followed participants over an average of about nine years and examined the development of eight conditions: major cardiovascular events, atrial fibrillation, type 2 diabetes, immune-related inflammatory diseases, fatty liver disease, chronic respiratory disease, chronic kidney disease and dementia, as well as overall mortality.
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The key finding was that the proportion of activity done at vigorous intensity mattered. People who had more than about 4% of their total activity classified as vigorous had substantially lower risks of developing these conditions compared with people who had no vigorous activity at all. The numbers were stunning, with the participants having the following results:
63% lower risk of dementia,
60% lower risk of type 2 diabetes,
48% lower risk of fatty liver disease,
44% lower risk of chronic respiratory disease,
41% lower risk of chronic kidney disease,
39% lower risk of immune-mediated inflammatory diseases,
31% lower risk of major cardiovascular events,
29% lower risk of atrial fibrillation, and
46% lower risk of death from any cause.
These results are amazing. Imagine if someone invented a medication that could reduce the risks of all these diseases at once — it would be very popular! Crucially, even people who exercised a lot still benefited if the proportion of time they spent doing vigorous physical activity was increased. Conversely, people who were relatively inactive also benefited from adding just a little bit of higher-intensity exercise to their daily routines.
CNN: What counts as “vigorous” physical activity?
Wen: Vigorous activity is generally defined as exercise that substantially raises your heart rate and breathing. A simple way to gauge it is the “talk test.” If you can speak comfortably in full sentences while exercising, you are likely in the low to moderate range. If you are so out of breath that you can only say a few words at a time, that is vigorous.
Running, cycling, lap swimming or climbing stairs quickly could count. But this also depends on people’s baseline fitness. For some individuals, taking longer strides with walking can be vigorous exercise. Others who are already fairly fit would need to do more. It’s also important to remember that vigorous activity doesn’t have to be in the context of a structured exercise plan. Short bursts of effort in daily life, such as rushing to catch a bus or carrying heavy groceries upstairs, can also qualify if they raise your heart rate and make you breathless.
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