At the age when people retire and want to relax, 76-year-old Arnold Schwarzenegger is busy maintaining his physique and staying fit. And while doing so, he also promotes the same through his newsletter. In the recent edition of Arnold’s Pump Club, Schwarzenegger explains how even a minute or two of intense exercise can provide several health benefits.
The Austrian Oak, in the section “The Surprising Power Of One Minute,” writes how short bursts of movement, lasting a couple of minutes, can improve heart health and prevent disease.
“Movement lasting as little as one minute — can improve your cardiovascular health, build strength, and prevent disease.”
In a study conducted on more than 25,000 people, it was found that doing just one to two minutes of high-intensity exercise can prove to be a “life-extending decision.”
The research took place over a period of seven years, and the results that came in were surprising. People who did three to four sessions of intense physical activity had a massive reduction in their chances of dying from heart disease.
“3 to 4 bouts of those intense bursts… resulted in up to a 40 percent reduction in death from all causes and up to a 49 percent reduction in death from cardiovascular disease.“
Moving your body by sprinting up stairs or doing jumping jacks is like a quick investment in a longer and healthier life—just as simple as watching a few reels, but with more benefits for your heart and overall well-being. The idea here is to get the heart rate up, as it improves circulation, helping the lungs and heart function better while also shedding calories.
Arnold Schwarzenegger notes that, although going to a gym is probably the best way to stay healthy, but if one does not have time or access to hit the gym, setting aside a few minutes daily at different intervals of the day for intense activity sessions will do the trick for you. While exercising is good for your heart health, it is also a boon for your brain health.
Arnold Schwarzenegger talks about how regular exercise acts as a powerful tool to fight cognitive decline
In a previous edition of his newsletter, while citing a study, the former governor of California noted how regular cardiovascular exercise can reduce or prevent brain deterioration. Adults suffering from brain diseases are on the rise in the country. So, people who did high-intensity exercise for an hour or so in total in a week had younger brains than those who were inactive.
But if your body does not allow high-intensity activity, starting slowly and gradually increasing the time period and intensity is also perfectly fine. What remains of prime importance is that adults move their bodies for some period of time, because, if done regularly, movement can serve as an anti-aging medicine for your mind.