Contrary to popular belief, the benefits of this type of exercise plateaus at a certain point, and pushing past it doesn’t give you any additional benefit. Do this instead—it’s incredible for your heart and twice as effective at reducing risks of all-cause mortality. STORY AT-A-GLANCE If your goal is to optimize your cardiovascular health and longevity, focus on moderate-intensity exercise. The cardiovascular and mortality benefits of moderate activity continue to accrue in an inverse, dose-dependent manner.
For vigorous exercise, benefits such as cardiovascular health and longevity plateau at approximately 150 minutes/week. After that, your heart health may suffer, and you reap no additional reduction in mortality.
Moderate physical activity includes activities like walking, hiking, gardening, housework, dancing, shopping, golf, pickle ball, doubles tennis, volleyball, and leisurely bike riding. As a general rule, you’re still able to speak and breathe through your nose during the activity.
Vigorous physical activity includes strenuous bicycling, running or swimming, high-intensity interval training (HIIT), singles tennis, basketball, and other activities and sports that cause heart-pounding and breathlessness and make you sweat profusely.
People with low cardiorespiratory fitness have a greater risk of death than any other traditional risk factor for premature death, including age, diabetes, smoking, chronic kidney disease, hypertension, atrial fibrillation, obesity, history of cardiovascular disease, and cancer. In the video above, Siim Land, author of “Metabolic Autophagy: Practice Intermittent Fasting and Resistance Training to Build Muscle and Promote Longevity,”1 reviews the findings of a new systematic review published in the March-April 2023 issue of Missouri Medicine….