“Twice as many premature deaths can be attributable to lack of physical activity compared with the number of deaths attributable to obesity,” the IMA said in a statement. “Inactivity is defined as having a sedentary job with no reported recreational physical activity,” IMA national president A. Marthanda Pillai and secretary general K.K. Aggarwal were quoted as saying. As per the IMA’s recommendation, just a little bit of exercise, such as 20 minutes of walking a day, was extremely beneficial regardless of whether people were overweight or obese or not.
A recent study published online Jan 14 in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition also said just a small amount of physical activity each day could have substantial health benefits for people who were physically inactive. “Although we found that just 20 minutes would make a difference, we should really be looking to do more than this. Physical activity has many proven health benefits and should be an important part of our daily life,” the experts said. (IANS)