Two minute bursts of exercise per day may enough to stave off an early death, study suggests
28 October 2022, 11:40
New research suggests doing around two minutes of vigorous activity each day may be enough to cut your risk of dying young.
Scientists at the University of Sydney analysed data from over 70,000 Brits, tracking exercise levels for a week and then tracking their health over the next seven years.
Results revealed that people who did just 15 minutes of vigorous exercise per week, which is two minutes and nine seconds per day, were 18 per cent less likely to die within the research period compared to those doing only two minutes per week.
The study's lead author Dr Matthew Ahmadi said: 'The results indicate accumulating vigorous activity in short bouts across the week can help us live longer.
'Given that lack of time is the most commonly reported barrier to regular physical activity, accruing small amounts sporadically during the day may be a particularly attractive option for busy people.'
According to NHS guidelines, adults should get 150 minutes of moderate exercise or 75 minutes of vigorous exercise - which includes swimming, running, swimming, walking up stairs and skipping - per week, spread out over four to five days.
Participants in the research who were split fairly evenly in sex, and were in their 60s on average, wore wrist-mounted activity trackers for a week to monitor the total time spent doing vigorous activity.
The data collected was then compared against rates of conditions such cancer or heart disease, and death.
Figures published in the European Heart Journal revealed that people who did no vigorous activity had a 4 per cent overall risk of dying in the next five years, but this was cut by half to just 2 per cent people who did 10 minutes per week and down to just 1 per cent for those who did an hour a week.
However, scientists say the most interesting discovery were the benefits of the the smallest bouts of vigorous activity per day, though more exercise was better.
As an example, participants who got in 53 minutes of exercise per week, which works out to around seven-and-a-half minutes per day, had a 36 per cent lower chance of dying in five years, compared to those did two minutes a week.
Staying active is important for physical and mental health, but in May, a study by Essex researchers suggested that in England, only one in 20 adults are doing the recommended weekly amount of exercise.
