Sport, but also daily physical activity together with diet and a healthy lifestyle help to maintain health and prevent the onset of heart disease, stroke, diabetes or various types of cancer, according to the WHO, which warns that more A quarter of the world's adult population does not reach the minimum level of physical activity.
Less well known are the benefits that physical movements from day to day carried out vigorously, such as walking for two minutes at a fast pace or climbing stairs at fast. It is called Vilpa (vigorous intermittent lifestyle physical activity or intermittent vigorous activity). Practicing three or four bursts of this camouflaged physical activity a day (about 30 minutes a week) can reduce the risk of cardiovascular problems and cancer in middle-aged people, according to a study involving more than 25,000 individuals and that has been published in the journal Nature.
"We know vigorous physical exercise during leisure time has health benefits, but we understand less of the potential of daily movement," explains Emmanuel Stamatakis, lead author of the study and professor of physical education, lifestyle and health. of the population at the Charles Perkins Center at the University of Sydney (Australia). Stamatakis points out in a conversation with La Vanguardia that the vast majority of older and middle-aged adults (in many countries more than 70-80%) do not exercise regularly in their spare time or never do so at all. For this not inconsiderable percentage of the population, "we need to understand how they can benefit from the accidental physical activity that takes place in daily routines," says the researcher.
“Exercising at a higher intensity in short bursts has favorable effects on cardiovascular disease and cancer risk factors through improvements in blood pressure, lipid metabolism, improved insulin sensitivity, fitness and immune function, and inflammation of the lower part of the body”, continues Matthew Ahmadi, another of the study authors.
It is about exercising without knowing that you are doing it and without having to go to the gym. This type of activity, recommended for sedentary middle-aged people, consists according to Ahmadi of "moving more at a higher intensity" for a few minutes each day. The researchers, who analyzed and monitored the more than 25,000 people who participated in the study for seven years and who had an age measurement of almost 62 years, have verified that three or four daily VILPA sessions lasting one or two minutes a day has long-term benefits, especially for people who are not used to exercising.
"The more VILPA, the better," encourages Stamatakis, who points out that the evidence from his study found that a pattern of "a minimum of 2-3 sessions of 1-2 minutes each" or "7-8 shorter sessions of, for example, 30-45 seconds a day” can improve short-term health outcomes. The important thing for the researcher is that these bursts become something regular and a "lifelong habit".
Based on the results of the study, it is "plausible to speculate," explains Stamatakis, that when VILPA is repeated regularly "it leads to improvements in cardiorespiratory fitness over time." He also remembers that people with a "low" physical condition are more likely to suffer from CVD (cardiovascular disease). In this sense, the tests carried out within the study have shown that very short bursts of intermittent exercise can have rapid effects: at approximately six weeks.
And while the benefits of VILPA are indicated for middle-aged people because they typically exercise the least, Stamatakis says the comparisons they made suggest that "vigorous exertion is equally important and potentially beneficial for people who are active in their free time”, that is, they practice sports.
"We know that physical exercise in moderate amounts is beneficial," explains Eduard Guasch, a cardiologist at the Hospital Clínic de Barcelona. For the expert, the benefits that are extrapolated from the VILPA study are applicable to sedentary people. For the general population, the cardiologist points out that it is advisable to complete 150 minutes of "moderate physical activity" a week to obtain health benefits, as recommended by the WHO. And to optimize this benefit, he remembers that the activity must be carried out for at least 10 minutes in a row (8 more than the VILPA stipulates). In order to complete the minimum execution time of this moderate exercise of 150 minutes per week (30 minutes five days), Guasch recommends looking for everyday moments such as getting off two stops before reaching your destination (whether at work, home or anywhere else) and complete the tour on foot. Also climb stairs.
The researchers point to some of the many day-to-day activities that can be turned into a VILPA burst by "adjusting the intensity and doing them in a more vigorous way."
On a regular long walk, one suggestion is to increase your walking pace to sprint for a minute or two. This exercise can be done, for example, on the way to work or on a recreational walk.
This action, which is also a widespread health advice that calls for changing the elevator for the stairs whenever possible, can turn into a VILPA blast. Stamatakis points out that bursts lasting from 20 seconds to a few minutes performed three to five times a day can achieve "substantial" improvements in cardiorespiratory fitness in previously inactive adults within a few weeks.
Together with the exercise of climbing stairs, Ahmadi and Stamatakis propose choosing paths with a steep slope that involve walking uphill to activate the cardiovascular system.
Another daily activity that unknowingly becomes a VILPA exercise can be weight walking, either with shopping bags or a loaded backpack.
The Physical Activity Guide for health and the reduction of sedentary lifestyle edited by the Ministry of Health (2022) also presents some proposals for physical activity for adults and, although it only contemplates vigorous sports exercises, it includes walking carrying children in their arms as a moderate activity. a baby, painting, washing the dishes with moderate effort or making the beds, for example.
