We are all past the phase when it was considered impossible to treat serious conditions or illnesses. Now it is actually possible for people to delay death, thanks to the advancements made in medical technology in the past few decades.

Now it is actually possible to put even brain dead people on life support systems, which was once considered to be a rare possibility. People can get cured of life-threatening diseases such as cancer and brain tumor, and live a healthy life. This is the scenario when it comes to tips of delaying death in the case of a diseased person. But not all know that the healthy ones can delay their death too by performing certain activities.

It has been long argued whether exercising helps increase the lifespan of an individual or not. But now even science backs the idea that sports such as swimming, tennis, and badminton can help live a longer life by delaying death in long run.

These are the findings of a study published in the British Journal and Sports Medicine. According to the study, aerobics, racket sports and swimming can help delay death in long run. These activities do so by reducing the risk of death due to stroke and several types of heart diseases.

However, the researchers cleared that their findings do not prove that other sports, such as cycling, running or football, do not help reduce the risk of heart diseases and other ailments. Whatever be the case, it is quite clear that some form of physical activity actually helps stave off the risk of death in a healthy individual.

How to Delay Death?

The World Health Organization (WHO) defines physical activity as “any bodily movement produced by skeletal muscles that require energy expenditure.” It includes everything that you do at work, during recreation activities, while performing household chores or while traveling from one place to another.

Being physically active does not mean that people from all age groups need to perform certain activities for the same duration or in the same frequency. The organization has identified different physical activity needs for certain age groups and staying physically active as per the WHO guidelines to helps delay death in the long run.

Here are the WHO recommendations on physical activity, based on the different age groups:

5 – 17 Years:

  • Children and adolescents from this age group must stay physically active for at least 60 minutes per week.
  • They should indulge in muscle- and bone-strengthening activities for at least three times in a week.
  • Staying physically active for more than 60 minutes in a day provides extra benefits in terms of overall health.

18 – 64 Years:

  • Adults within this age group should indulge in a minimum of 150 minutes of moderate-intensity physical activity per week. If the intensity of the physical activity is vigorous, then they can keep it within 75 minutes. A combination of both types of intensities can also be opted for.
  • The duration should be increased to 300 minutes of moderate-intensity physical activity per week if additional health benefits are desired.
  • Muscle-strengthening activities should be performed on at least two days in a week.

65 Years and Above:

  • The elderly aged above 65 should conduct the moderate-intensity physical activity for at least 150 minutes a week.
  • People with poor mobility should perform activities that help them prevent falls with enhancing balance for a minimum of 3 days a week.
  • Muscle-strengthening activities should be performed for 2 to 3 days a week.