A new study led by Emmanuel Stamatakis reveals that incorporating short bursts of physical activity into daily routines can improve cardiovascular fitness and reduce the risk of heart disease. The new three-year longitudinal research published in the physician’s journal Circulation has some thrilling findings. It’s true that low levels of physical activity have very substantial health benefits — specifically for those who are less active.
The new research underscores how short bursts—in increments of just three minutes—can reduce the risk of cardiovascular disease and premature death. Collaborators recruited to the UK Biobank accelerometry substudy, and led by Stamatakis, conducted supplementary modeling exploration. In this new study, participants wore wrist accelerometers for seven days to objectively monitor their activity and sleep levels. The researchers found that only 24 minutes of moderate incidental physical activity per day was associated with a markedly lower risk of all-cause mortality. Even better, this reduction could be up to 47% !!
These results demonstrate that brief, intermittent bouts of activity—30 seconds to 5 minutes—are potentially more attainable for a majority of individuals. These short but mighty workouts can do wonders to improve cardiovascular health. Only 1 minute of vigorous-intensity incidental physical activity has been shown to greatly lower your risk of heart disease. In reality, it delivers the health impact equivalent to three to 3.5 minutes of moderate-intensity exercise! Furthermore, approximately 35 to 48 minutes of light incidental activity can equate to the benefits of just one minute of vigorous activity.
Stamatakis painted a sobering picture, noting that just 15-20% of middle-aged and older Americans are meeting routine exercise guidelines. This widespread physical inactivity represents perhaps the greatest public health crisis today, contributing to an estimated six million deaths globally each year. He stated, “Incidental physical activity, things we do as part of our daily routines, offers many, largely untapped, opportunities.”
Everyday activities such as gardening can improve your cardiovascular health. Opting for the stairs over the elevator is another easy way to keep your body moving and benefit your heart health. To people who haven’t been active at all, Stamatakis encourages people to start low and find what works for you. Soon, work up to four to five minutes of vigorous activity a day or 15 to 25 minutes of moderate-intensity activity per day.
First, as he noted, incidental activities are both brief and episodic. This could be part of the reason why the majority of research to date has been on structured exercise events for at least 15 minutes. “We do not understand very well what is the best way to promote incidental activity and how to support people integrating it into their day-to-day routines,” he remarked.
Health researcher Hoang Nguyen agreed, noting the need to find more straightforward ways to add physical activity into people’s lives. He suggested that individuals could walk to nearby restaurants instead of driving or opt for stairs over elevators during their daily routines. “I often encourage my patients who do not participate in structured exercise programs to increase cardiovascular fitness by adopting more physical activity with activities [in] their daily lives,” he stated.
Nguyen stressed that the more we can make healthy living require less effort, the more we can improve people’s longevity. This strategy further reduces stress on the health care infrastructure. He was especially excited about the possibility of combining short, but frequent, doses of movement into our days to achieve big health improvements from happy hearts.
Grant Simons, another of the study’s authors, echoed the importance of the findings. He stated, “This finding is exciting due to its analysis of short bursts of activity, which is new and noteworthy.”
Furthermore, Stamatakis pointed out that if opportunities for incidental physical activity are not readily available, individuals can create them, such as parking further away from their destination and walking briskly. “Use existing opportunities to increase physical activity intensity in day-to-day life,” he advised.
Overall, the research indicates the widespread benefits of incidental physical activity as an effective and feasible strategy to improve cardiovascular health. Celebrate incremental wins in your everyday practices. Even a little exercise can improve your overall fitness, and vigorous activity cuts your risk of developing chronic diseases by up to 60%.
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