Gaby
An international team of researchers introduced a new formula for longevity: VILPA, short for “Vigorous Intermittent Lifestyle Physical Activity.”
These short bursts of physical activity are familiar to everyone. Activities like brisk walking, climbing stairs, carrying a backpack or shopping bags, cleaning the house, gardening, and playing with your dog significantly reduce the risk of death. Just 1-2 minutes of activity, done 3-4 times a day, is enough.
Most people know exercise is healthy. But the potential of daily movement—especially everyday actions—has been underestimated until recently, Stamatakis said. He is the study’s lead author at the University of Sydney.
His team analyzed wrist-monitor data from 25,241 volunteers, both men and women. The average age was about 62, and none were regular exercisers.
Over nearly seven years, 852 participants died. The study found that volunteers who did intermittent vigorous activity had a much lower risk of dying from cardiovascular disease and from other causes.
Participants who did just three one- to two-minute sessions of VILPA per day had nearly a 50% lower risk of death from cardiovascular disease and about a 40% lower risk of death from other causes, including cancer.
Stamatakis said intense activity is especially effective when it is intermittent, repeated, and regular.
Researchers were surprised to find that participants underestimated how much of their daily activity reached high intensity.
Because 70 to 80 percent of middle-aged and older adults don’t exercise regularly, many people could cut their mortality risk by adding VILPA to daily life, Stamatakis said. Newsweek reported.
Changing habits is hard. VILPA offers an easier way to get the benefits of physical activity: a few minutes several times a day can make a difference. The more frequent and intense the bursts, the better.
Researchers say VILPA has practical advantages over traditional exercise. Intermittent household activity takes little time, requires no special clothes, no gym trips, and no equipment. These short bursts of activity are free.
