A new Cambridge University study found that there’s an existing health treatment so effective that it saves nearly 4 million lives every year around the world.
In the U.S. alone, it prevents 140,200 fatalities annually.
That’s roughly equivalent to the entire death toll so far from COVID-19.
The study found that this treatment is so effective it may be the single most lifesaving weapon against disease that mankind has.
It’s not a new drug that fights heart disease, Alzheimer’s, diabetes, or viruses. It’s not a cutting-edge medical procedure that treats cancer, although it’s effective against all these conditions.
Researchers discovered its effectiveness by gathering data on billions of people in 168 countries. They looked at how physical activity affected the chances of premature death.[1]
The bottom line: Exercise reduced the risk of early death by 15%. That works out to 3.9 million lives saved worldwide every year. In the U.S., that translates to 140,200 lives.
When it comes to exercise, doctors often focus on the negative. They talk about the dangers of being sedentary and how many lives it cuts short.
But the Cambridge researchers took a different approach. Instead of looking at the downside of not exercising, they highlighted the positive effects of physical movement.
Study author Dr. Tessa Strain is a postdoctoral research fellow at the University of Cambridge. She said that by “focusing on the number of lives saved, we can tell a good news story.[2]
“It tells us how much good is being done and helps us say, ‘Look how much benefit physical activity is already providing. Let’s make things even better by increasing physical activity levels further.’”
The Best Way to Exercise
The study authors point out that any activity is better than none. Walking, cycling, yoga…any form of movement contributes to health and a longer life.
But many people complain they don’t have time to exercise. High-intensity interval training (HIIT) gives you a great workout in less than 20 minutes a day.
It works better than steady-state cardio like jogging or biking to improve heart strength, circulation, lung capacity, and overall fitness.
And it can improve insulin resistance and lower blood pressure better than any other type of exercise.[3] [4]
HIIT is adaptable to many activities. You can run, cycle, swim, do calisthenics, or use a rowing, stair climber, or elliptical machine.
Warm up for three to five minutes doing your chosen form of exercise slowly.
Then do the exercise at the highest intensity you can for the next minute.
Slow down for a minute or two to catch your breath. Then go hard again for another minute.
Repeat this process five to seven times. Afterward, do the activity slowly for at least two minutes to cool down.
The idea is to push your body for a brief burst, and then allow it to recover.
The new findings on the life-extending power of exercise show once again that the most effective health solutions come from nature—not from a pharmacy.
Editor’s Note: If you’re exercising to lose weight, don’t fall for the calorie cutting myth. Calories don’t drive weight gain. Something else does. And it’s easy to control. Discover more by reading The Weight-Loss-for-Life Protocol. It’s in Independent Healing, the monthly newsletter that deciphers the latest science to bring you unbiased medical information that can transform your health. Find out more HERE.
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[1]https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/32562648/
[2]https://consumer.healthday.com/fitness-information-14/misc-health-news-265/why-exercise-researchers-say-it-prevents-3-9-million-deaths-a-year-758740.html
[3]https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/26481101/
[4]https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/20448634/