Can Just a Couple of Minutes of Intense Activity a Day Lead to a Longer Life?

Is it possible to reap the benefits of vigorous exercise without formally exercising? New research suggests yes.

A new study suggests that short bursts of intense movement is associated with a lower risk of premature death. Published in the journal Nature Medicine, researchers analyzed data from about 25,000 non-exercisers (average age 62) in the U.K. who wore wrist devices that tracked their movement.

Vigorous intermittent lifestyle physical activity (VILPA) refers to short, sporadic bouts of vigorous-intensity physical activity done as part of daily living, such as bursts of very fast walking while commuting to work or moving from place to place, or stair climbing.

They found that just one to two minutes of such activity three to four times daily was associated with an up to 40% lower risk of death over the course of seven years, relative to the people who did not engage in any vigorous activity. They also found that just a few minutes of VILPA throughout the day also reduced cardiovascular disease-related mortality by up to 49%.

The researchers obtained similar results when they analyzed vigorous physical activity (VPA) in roughly 62,000 participants who exercised. VILPA in non-exercisers appears to elicit similar effects to VPA in exercisers, suggesting that VILPA may be a suitable physical activity target, especially in people not able or willing to exercise.