Fit four or five minutes of vigorous everyday activity into each day
Among people who did no structured exercise, three daily bursts of vigorous activity lasting one or two minutes were associated with about 40% lower mortality and nearly half the cardiovascular mortality. Stair climbing and hurrying on foot count.
What it takes
Free, without a separate workout. Remember to take stairs or walk briskly instead of choosing the easiest option.
What you may gain
A UK Biobank study followed about 25,200 non-exercisers for an average of 6.9 years, during which 852 died. Three daily bouts lasting 1–2 minutes were associated with 38%–40% lower all-cause and cancer mortality and 48%–49% lower cardiovascular mortality than no such activity. Accumulating 4.4 minutes daily was associated with 26%–30% lower all-cause and cancer mortality and 32%–34% lower cardiovascular mortality.
Context & considerations
Wearable measurement is more reliable than recalled questionnaire answers, but the study remained observational and follow-up was only 6.9 years. It studied people who did no structured exercise; these estimates do not apply to regular exercisers.
Research & references
Stamatakis E, Ahmadi MN, Gill JMR, et al. (2022). Association of wearable device-measured vigorous intermittent lifestyle physical activity with mortality. Nature Medicine, 28, 2521-2529. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41591-022-02100-x