Want a longer life? Move five minutes more

Small increases in daily movement, and sitting less, can cut risk of early death

- Shrenik Avlani

Just move for five more minutes and sit 30 minutes less each day to enjoy better health and longer life. As per findings published in a new study in The Lancet in late January, this statement is not some catchphrase from a wellness programme pamphlet, but a fact.

The study covering 135,000 people from the US, UK, Sweden and Norway and helmed by the Norwegian School of Sports Sciences, found that simple physical activities such as brisk walking for an extra five minutes per day led to a 10% drop in deaths. Moreover, when the daily sedentary time—not sitting or lying down—was cut down by just 30 minutes, it led to a 7% reduction in all deaths.