Small lifestyle changes can lead to longer, healthier life
What are the smallest lifestyle changes we need to make to live longer and extend our health?
Two new studies suggest that the goals of a healthier, longer life are much closer than we think.
Until now, estimates of preventable deaths have been based on everyone following physical activity guidelines. Only one in five Australians To do.
Suddenly meeting guidelines for at least 30 minutes of physical activity a day from little to nothing is unrealistic for many people, says Melody Ding, professor of public health at the University of Sydney.
So the researchers turned their attention to more achievable targets, including the minimum targets needed to prevent premature death and, in the second study, how little we need to do to live longer and improve our healthspan.
Preventing premature death
The first study was published in a meta-analysis. Lancet, We looked at their physical activity and sedentary behavior. 135 046 Adults with an average age of 63. Researchers tracked their health outcomes about eight years later.
They found that increasing moderate-to-vigorous physical activity (MVPA) by just five minutes a day could prevent 10 percent of deaths after about a decade. Although MVPA varies depending on a person’s fitness level, it can include brisk walking, swimming, running, cycling, or playing sports.
The average time participants spent sitting was nine hours per day. A significant reduction in death rates required reducing this by at least 30 minutes per day.
Ding, who led the research, says that replacing some of the time we spend sedentary with physical activity gives us the advantage of both sitting less and moving more.
He adds that getting an extra five minutes of physical activity every day gets you one step closer to reaching your 7,000 steps per day goal. Ding’s work was previously found being the magic number that will significantly improve eight key health outcomes, including reducing cardiovascular disease, dementia and depressive symptoms.
Using physical activity as an entry point can also lead to improvements in other areas of our health.
“Physical activity is related to sleep,” says Ding. “If you do something extra, your sleep will get better. The behaviors are all interconnected.”
Minimum amount needed to improve our lifespan and healthspan
The interconnected nature of our behavior is what motivated the second study, published in the journal. e-Clinical Medicine.
“Healthy habits work best as a package,” says Nicholas Koemel from the University of Sydney, who led the study. “All of our efforts come together to make a meaningful difference in our lifespan and health.”
The study analyzed the lifestyle behaviors of 59,078 adults with an average age of 64 and tracked their health outcomes eight years later.
They found that the minimum combined dose of behaviors over an extra year was:
- Five minutes more sleep a day
- Also two minute MVPA
- And an extra half-serving of vegetables—equivalent to a quarter of cooked green vegetables such as broccoli, spinach, carrots, squash, or cooked dried or canned beans, peas, or lentils—or one-and-a-half servings of whole grains—equivalent to a slice of bread or half a cup of cooked brown rice or whole-wheat pasta.
The dose had to be increased slightly to improve healthspan. These changes were associated with an additional four years of health, which is the number of years free of chronic conditions including cardiovascular disease, dementia, cardio-obstructive pulmonary disease and type 2 diabetes:
- Extra 24 minutes of sleep per day
- Four more minutes of MVPA
- And an additional cup of vegetables or servings of whole grains per day and two servings of fish per week.
The highest life expectancy gained (almost an extra decade (9.35 years)) was observed with seven to eight hours of sleep per day, 40 minutes of MVPA, and a healthy diet.
A healthy diet can be interpreted a few different ways, but for this study, this meant consuming three or more servings of fruit per day, as well as the same amount of vegetables and whole grains, while eliminating refined grains, processed meats, and sugary drinks.
Getting the best result by doing the least
“These are two sides of the coin: minimal change and best possible scenario,” says Koemel. “Some people may not be able to make radical changes or lifestyle changes, and that’s the nice thing about offering minimal change, because we can offer people a starting point.”
Showing that “truly manageable” changes to our lifestyle can have a tangible impact on our health and longevity can make behavior change more feasible and sustainable.
“We can move on to make these optimal changes,” adds Koemel.
“We don’t see minimal change as the magic solution here. These are a good place to start. They may not be where the journey should end.”
Professor David Dunstan, from the Baker Heart and Diabetes Institute and Deakin University, agrees.
“Both articles offer a powerful reminder: Even small steps towards healthier habits can make a big difference,” says Dunstan, who was not involved in the research. “For those living an unhealthy lifestyle, the message is simple and encouraging; Something It’s much better than doing Nothing. Even one positive change can put you on the path to better health and reducing your risk of disease.”
Equally important, according to Dunstan, these findings show that our health is not just about one behavior alone:
“It’s about the cumulative impact of small improvements in every area, whether it’s moving more, eating better, or reducing harmful habits. Every small change matters, and together they provide meaningful health benefits.”
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Sarah Berry is a lifestyle and health writer for The Sydney Morning Herald and The Age.Connect with: excitement or email.
