It has been a while since I covered some of the latest health and fitness research, so I thought I would round up a few studies and reports that caught my attention recently. As always, one study rarely changes everything, but over time they help build a bigger picture. Here are four that I think are worth knowing about.
Obesity is rising fastest in younger adults
A study published in The Lancet found that new cases of obesity are rising fastest among people in their 20s and 30s. There are probably several reasons for this. Younger adults have grown up surrounded by fast food, food delivery apps and constant advertising. They have also been hit by the pandemic, rising living costs and the challenge of balancing work with family life.
None of this means people cannot get into shape, but it does remind us that our environment has a huge influence on our behaviours. It is much easier to develop healthy habits than it is to fight unhealthy ones that have been reinforced for years.
Healthy life expectancy has fallen
Another report found that healthy life expectancy in the UK has fallen by around two years over the last decade. That is a far more worrying statistic than life expectancy itself. Living until 85 sounds great, but if the last 20 years are spent unable to move properly, constantly in pain or relying on others, that is a very different picture.
One of the main reasons I encourage people to exercise is not because I want them to have visible abs. I want them to still be travelling, carrying shopping, getting off the floor, playing with grandchildren and enjoying life in their seventies and eighties. For me, healthspan is every bit as important as lifespan. Last week’s newsletter (insert link>>) gave you daily routines to be doing to prevent this exact situation happening.
Tiny bursts of exercise still count
This was probably my favourite study. Researchers looked at people who did not formally exercise but wore activity trackers. They found that just a few one or two minute bursts of vigorous activity throughout the day were associated with significantly lower risks of early death. This could be walking quickly up the stairs, carrying shopping, running for a train or any other short burst of hard effort. It fits nicely with something I have been saying for years. Stop thinking that exercise only counts when you change into gym clothes.
Movement is movement. If you can create more opportunities to move well throughout your day, they all add up over time. Integrated fitness is such an amazing opportunity. It takes away most of your objections (time, desire, what to do) and just gives you the key benefits.
Most people do not appreciate this training approach because we automatically think of athletes when we talk about fitness, who of course do not take this approach. But most people are just sedentary and do very little, so this approach works very well.
Around two hours of strength training appears to be enough
Another large review found that around 90 minutes to two hours of strength training per week was associated with a lower risk of premature death, heart disease, stroke and neurological disease. Interestingly, doing much more than this did not seem to produce significantly greater health benefits. This fits well with what I have been saying recently. You do not have to live in the gym to benefit from strength training. A couple of sessions a week, or even short daily routines at home, can make a meaningful difference if you stay consistent.
I feel this is a bit of a high bar. I would wager significantly lower amounts of weight training would give many of these same benefits, which is the ethos behind the daily routines I linked above.
What Does This Mean For You?
There was no magic bullet hidden in any of these studies. The same themes keep appearing over and over again, move more throughout the day and include some form of strength training every week. The goal should be to build healthy habits while you are still healthy.
Research often changes the finer details, but the big picture has remained remarkably consistent for years. Looking after your body isn’t about finding the perfect programme. It is about doing the basics often enough that they become part of your lifestyle.
Photo – Some of the studies and articles mentioned above –
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