Sarah Davies Performing Olympic Weightlifting Snatch with Mirafit Barbell

A massive new Harvard study, published this week in the British Medical Journal, has found that maintaining healthy habits can give you an average of between 7 and 10 more disease-free years in later life.

The study measured five key healthy habits, asking more than 100,000 participants if they got 30 minutes of daily activity as well as questions around diet, smoking and drinking.

Are you getting your 30 a day?

Finding the time between work, family commitments and socialising to get active for half an hour every day can be a challenge. By the time you’ve gotten changed into your exercise gear, braved the winter chill, picked your workout playlist and journeyed to the gym or exercise class, you’ve spent hours building up to exercising for just a short burst of activity.

However, the results of this comprehensive study further prove just how necessary making that time to workout really is.

We’ve put together our recommendations for finding ways to fit exercise around your busy lifestyle to keep it interesting, effective and sustainable, potentially adding years to your life.

1 - HIIT at home

Man doing a push up on a Mirafit Aerobic Exercise Step

Videos on these short but intense workouts are hugely popular for a reason. Not only do they get your heart pumping, but they are also varied exercises which work several different muscle groups while helping you lose weight and feel better without leaving the house.

Generally, HIIT routines require you to complete one exercise as fast as you can for up to a minute before giving you a short rest and moving onto the next activity.

We recommend using a range of different equipment to keep HIIT routines fresh and interesting which will help ensure you stick to them.

Most importantly, you can easily build a short 30-minute HIIT workout into your day because you never need to leave the house to do it.

2 - Run, walk or cycle to work

Man running with a Mirafit Multi Grip Sandbag

In 2016 Totaljobs published the results of its survey which found that 36% of us drive to work. Conversely, the survey found just 6% walk and 3% cycle.

While for some people, who live many miles away from their workplace, walking or cycling to work just isn’t an option, however, there is a huge proportion of society who could swap the daily drive for active travel, getting at least 30 minutes of exercise per day in the process.

It’s not just the daily commute which could become a form of exercise either; short trips to the shops or to see friends and family members, which you’d usually make by car, could easily become part of your weekly exercise routine. Adding years to your life and pounds to your bank balance in the process.

3 - Take up a new sport

Athletes working out with Mirafit fitness equipment

In many people’s minds, the window for trying out and getting into a new sport is between the ages of 10 and 13 and is a terrifying prospect for most adults.

However as French novelist Balzac famously wrote, admittedly not referring to the experience of trying a new sport, ‘Our worst fears lie in anticipation'. There are thousands of beginner sessions happening every day in the UK in a range of sports, so no matter what you’re interested in, there’s something out there for you to go and try. Simply identify which sport you’d like to do and speak to your local club about introductory sessions.

What’s more the mental health benefits of getting active and interacting with a group will also improve social interaction which has proven to have a long-term effect on physical health too. Strength and Conditioning training at home before you go will also give you physical confidence in your new sport as you learn new techniques.

4 - Weightlifting for longevity

powerlifter jodie cook preparing to squat using mirafit barbell and weights

Recent advice from the UK’s chief medical officers has strongly recommended that adults should lift weights at least twice per week to stay fit, strong and healthy.

The same research finds that this is particularly important for us all as we age, preventing falls and ensuring we can maintain independence in later life.

Weightlifting, using bar weights, dumbbells or otherwise is a fantastic way to build muscle mass and strengthen different areas of the body.

One of the best ways to ensure you are able to lift weights regularly and maintain a solid routine is by lifting weights at home. Not only can you lift at a time that suits you and works with your lifestyle, you’ll also be able to keep track of incremental improvements in your lifting by adding small weights as you see, and feel, fit.

5 - Mix up your fitness routine

Mirafit ambassador Becky Hair doing a decline push up on a Mirafit Steel Plyo Jump Box

Human beings are curious by nature and therefore the monotony of repeating the same workout routine every day can be tedious – no matter how good for you it is.

Luckily there is more than one way to curl a bicep, and the world of workout routines has never been more varied or inventive than it is now.

Find a routine that works for you as the basis of your workout and introduce new exercises and interesting equipment whenever you begin to get bored.

We all have our favourite exercises but, just like our favourite movie, there’s only so many times you can experience it without losing enthusiasm.

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Tags: Misc> Lifestyle