A Doctor Shares Some 'Really Phenomenal News' For People Who Don't Exercise At All
Doing a certain type of exercise a couple of times a week can drastically reduce a person's risk of mortality.
@drzagefit / TikTok A doctor named Karl Zarse shared the good news about what type of exercises people who aren't a fan of going to the gym for hours at a time can do for just a few minutes a few days per week.
Zarse also admitted that this type of exercise can be ideal for people who are maybe new to working out and need some tricks and tips to get them started.
Dr. Zarse claims that doing vigorous exercise can greatly reduce the risk of mortality.
"If you don't exercise at all, I have some really phenomenal news to share with you," Zarse began in his video.
He explained that from a variety of different studies and research that has come out, it has been proven that going from doing zero physical activities every day to partaking in, at least, 20 minutes of "vigorous exercise between three and five times per week" can help your overall health.
"You dramatically reduce your all-cause risk of mortality by anywhere between 30 to 70%," he pointed out. "The low end of the benefit was around three times a week for 20 minutes, the best was 20 minutes five times a week."
Zarse acknowledged that there isn't any drug or procedure out there that can have this effect on our well-being and mortality compared to doing these vigorous exercises. "I would think about that and just tell yourself, 'Can I give myself 20 minutes a day?'"
"Can I tell everyone in my life that I have to wait to get my 20 minutes of vigorous exercise in, and the reason I'm making them wait is to achieve a 50% reduction in all-cause mortality? I think that is an easy case to make to the people who care about you."
Some examples of vigorous exercises include anything that is considered 'high-intensity.'
In another TikTok video, Dr. Sri, an interactive family and sports medicine doctor, explained that while doing vigorous exercise, you shouldn't be able to have a "smooth conversation."
"Vigorous intensity exercise based on talk test: not able to have a smooth conversation while exercising and not being able to sing." Dr. Sri, while showing an example of a vigorous exercise that could be riding on a stationary bike, pointed out that if someone were to raise the intensity of the bike for at least five minutes, it would be equivalent to "10 minutes of moderate-intensity exercise."
As Zarse mentioned in his video, many studies have proven how beneficial these workouts are.
According to the American Medical Association, those who worked out two to four times beyond the minimum physical activity recommendations had a lower risk of death from cardiovascular disease. Those who worked out two to four times above the moderate physical activity recommendations — about 300 to 599 minutes each week — saw the most benefit.
Adults who also worked out two to four times more than the vigorous physical activity recommendations — about 150 to 299 minutes per week — were found to have 21% to 23% lower all-cause mortality, according to the study.
Some examples of vigorous exercises that someone could do for at least 20 minutes a few times a week include running, jumping rope, hiking, jogging at 6 mph, per the Harvard School of Public Health, and playing sports, including basketball, tennis, and soccer.
Dr. Zarse's message is simple: You don't need to be an exercise enthusiast to make a profound change in your life. Simply incorporating some of these workouts into your everyday routine for 20 minutes can have a huge impact on your overall health and well-being.
In a world where we often feel a loss of control over certain aspects of our lives, one thing will always be true — we have the power to live a healthier and fuller life by making sure we are taking care of ourselves.
Nia Tipton is a Chicago-based entertainment, news, and lifestyle writer whose work delves into modern-day issues and experiences.