As we spend more and more of our lives being sedentary and staring at our computer or phone screens, the concern over developing heart disease continues to increase.
Recently, a research team at Indiana University’s School of Public Health completed a study to address this precise concern, particularly in young women between the ages of 27 and 44.
97,000 women from ages 27 to 44 were tracked over a 20-year period and surveyed about the frequency, duration, intensity, and type of physical activity in which they engaged. Only 544 of these subjects ended up developing coronary heart disease.
As based on this data and further research, Professor Andrea Chomistek, one of the study’s lead scientists, concluded that engaging in 150 minutes of exercise each week can lower a woman’s risk of developing heart disease in the future by 25 percent.
Surprisingly, the frequency and intensity of exercise was not actually very significant in comparison to other factors. What was more important was the duration and the regularity.
Dr. Chomistek made a point of emphasizing that id didn’t necessarily matter when these two and a half hours of exercise were completed, whether it was done all at once, or if the exercise was spaced out over a few days.
The main takeaway of this study is that young women should get at least 150 minutes of “moderate” exercise per week.
Dr. Chomistek clarified: the exercise doesn’t necessarily have to be “vigorous.” “It’s important to remember that any amount of activity is better than none.”
