LIVE: Get Active During COVID-19 To Reduce Mortality Risk

How Much 30 Minutes Of Activity Can Lower Your Risk Of Death

If you’re looking for motivation to get off the couch and get active during COVID-19, here’s some. It could save your life.

Sanford nurse practioner Morgan Rinke tells KVRR that replacing 30 minutes of couch time with physical activity can make a big difference in your overall health.
She cites a study that says 30 extra minutes of light activity can reduce your mortality risk by eight percent.
For moderate or intense physical activity, the risk drops by 31 percent.
Even if you’re not going to the gym right now, she says it’s easy to find ways to get active.

Rinke says activity that counts, “Raises your heart rate, makes it a little bit harder to breathe. So when we talk about moderate we talk about, like, brisk jogging, even recreational swimming. When we talk more about that vigorous activity we talk about jogging, running, aerobics, those kind of activities.”

She says it is hard to start a physical activity routine, but says once you stick with it for a month or so, it gets easier to keep active.