federal guidelines Adults in the United States say they should get at least 75 minutes of vigorous physical activity or 150 minutes of less intense physical activity each week. But over the past few years, a number of studies have promoted the benefits of doing far less exercise than that.
One study for 2022 Researchers have found that just three 1-minute periods of vigorous activity each day can extend your life. another studywill also be published in 2022, showing that 15 minutes of physical activity per week can extend lifespan. 2019 paper He went even further, claiming that just 10 minutes of exercise a week could extend your life. While these results are intriguing, they may seem a little too good to be true, given long-standing activity guidelines that recommend exercising about 10 times more to stay healthy. Hmm.
Stephen J. Carter, assistant professor of exercise physiology at the Indiana University Bloomington School of Public Health, said: He studies exercise and aging. “But maybe we should think differently about exercise.”
According to Carter, any amount of exercise is better than no exercise at all, and it does surprisingly little for your health.
Health Benefits of Short Activity
Stressing the body through exercise, even for a short time, causes physiological changes, says Maria Blue, assistant professor of exercise and sports science at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Even small amounts of activity can increase blood flow and improve the body’s ability to regulate blood sugar levels.Over time, these changes reduce the risk of conditions such as diabetes, heart disease, and stroke. there’s a possibility that.
Kevin Murak, an assistant professor at the University of Arkansas, says that when muscles are active, they also release compounds that improve the health of organs throughout the body. Studying muscle biology.
Plus, getting up and moving interrupts your sitting time, even for just a minute, says Blue. According to research, sitting too much is bad for your healthand that Replacing nearly all sitting time with exercise is beneficial“There is such a thing as a double [benefit]: If you split up your sitting time and increase your physical activity, you’ll get health benefits from both,” says Blue.
People who exercise in hopes of losing weight or training for a specific exercise event probably won’t see dramatic results in just a few minutes a day. not.
“People want instant gratification, and frankly, exercise doesn’t allow that,” says Carter. “You may not look like her YouTuber,” leading a workout after a five-minute class.
Research Backs It Up: Widely Cited Research review from 2014 showed that cardiopulmonary function was a better predictor of mortality than body mass index. The findings show that exercise benefits the health of people of all sizes. As many studies have shown, the benefits extend beyond the physical body. Exercise Benefits Mental Health.
Quantifying the benefits can be difficult
Murach agrees that even a little exercise can improve health, but notes that caution should be taken when interpreting research on bite-sized exercise. In many cases, studies only capture snapshots in time rather than a participant’s entire life, Murach says. Some studies have been unsuccessful in clarifying whether exercise provided specific health benefits, or whether they were simply correlated.
“I definitely think there are benefits,” says Murach. “But is getting him one minute of exercise a day going to be the silver bullet for life?” It’s hard to know for sure, he says.
Another complicating factor is that people start with different baselines. For someone who is completely sedentary, adding even a little extra exercise to the week can make a pretty dramatic difference. can take several minutes or more to achieve.
Intensity and duration matter
Not all exercises are the same. A five-minute sprint for him has a different effect on the body than a five-minute slow walk for him.
That’s not to say that light or moderate activity isn’t beneficial. A Study of Transport Workers in LondonBeginning in the 1940s, these results, and many studies conducted over the decades that followed, show that even moderate activities, such as housework and walking, that might not be traditionally considered “exercise” can make a positive impact.
But intensity is important, especially if you only move for short periods of time. Compared to more moderate activity, high-intensity, heart-pumping activities such as running and jumping jacks deliver physical benefits more efficiently, according to Carter, one of the strongest exercise-related predictors of longevity. he has two—Grip strength When aerobic capacity—You may see moderate improvement after a short workout, but longer, more intense exercise may be needed for significant improvement. Large studies show The more you exercise, the more you’ll benefit from it, so if you have the time and ability to stick with it, there’s no reason to stop after a few minutes.
Fortunately, activities are mutable and scalable. Your hard workout might be someone else’s light workout, but as long as your heart rate is up and your breathing is a little harder, you’re doing something good for your body, says Carter. You can also build up your intensity over time. Research suggestsPerhaps start with short walks a few times a day, then increase to more vigorous movements with longer stretches as you get stronger, says Blue.
The point is that some exercise is always better than nothing, and all the extra bits add up.
“It’s pretty shocking to see so many health benefits from so little exercise,” agrees Murach. “It may not make you lose 30 pounds, but it can improve your health to some extent. Your physiological health and your mental health.
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