Even one-minute bursts of activity throughout the day can prolong life

A new research published in the journal Nature Medicine by scientists at the University of Sydney has confirmed that even one-minute bursts of physical activity throughout the day can reduce the risk of mortality. The focus of the study was on "incidental" activity in all aspects of life, regardless of the duration of the burst of activity. Examples given include running for a bus or a very active game with children. To study the benefits of such bursts of activity, the researchers used data from wrist trackers of more than 25,000 people,  who did not engage in regular physical exercise or sport and went for a walk at best once a week

Approximately 88% of all the subjects had some form of brief activity during the day without training, and 92.3% of them lasted up to one minute, a maximum of two minutes. This happened an average of eight times a day and a total of about six minutes. The  researchers studied the coherence between the level of such physical activity and the risk of death from cancer, cardiovascular disease, and all other causes over a seven-year period of observation.

From the 852 deaths recorded during subsequent observation, the researchers found that only three bursts of vigorous activity during the day were associated with a 38% reduction in mortality from all causes and cancer, as well as a 48% reduction in the risk of cardiovascular mortality. 11 bursts of activity per day correlated with a 65% reduction in the risk of cardiovascular death and a 49% reduction in the risk of cancer development compared to complete lack of activity. The researchers also compared the effects of one-minute activity with data from 62,000 people who regularly engaged in physical exercise and found that their results were similar.

"Our study shows that benefits similar to high-intensity interval training can be achieved by increasing the intensity of random activities done in everyday life, and the more of them you do, the better. A few very short bursts of three to four minutes a day can make a big difference, and there are many daily tasks that can be done to increase heart rate by one minute or so," says Emmanuel Stamatakis, lead author of the study. 

Therefore, if you can do something faster and more energetic throughout the day, it is worth trying - it will be beneficial.

And we remind you that in order to maintain health, it is still worth spending time on training.

So how much time people need to be active per day to prolong life if they do not do workouts in their free time?

The World Health Organization (WHO) recommends that adults aged 18-64 engage in at least 150 minutes of moderate-intensity aerobic physical activity, or 75 minutes of vigorous-intensity aerobic physical activity, per week. This equates to about 20-30 minutes of moderate-intensity activity per day, or 10-15 minutes of vigorous-intensity activity per day. It is also recommended that adults perform muscle-strengthening activities at least two days per week.

Keep in mind that these recommendations are a minimum, and that engaging in more physical activity can provide additional health benefits. It is also important to note that the benefits of physical activity can be obtained through a variety of activities, such as walking, running, cycling, swimming, dancing, or participating in team sports. It is generally recommended to engage in a combination of aerobic and muscle-strengthening activities, as well as flexibility exercises, to achieve optimal health benefits.