Discover the 3-minute secret to a longer, healthier life!
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We all want to live long and healthy lives – but finding the time and means to commit to our long-term health can feel daunting.
But what if we told you there was a simpler, faster way to boost your health, without spending hours and hours in the gym? In fact, you only need three minutes.
According to the results of a new study published in the journal Nature Medicine, we may only need to spend three minutes a day exercising to reap big rewards when it comes to our health.
Researchers from Australia and Europe analysed data from the UK Biobank from a sample of 25,241 people, with an average age of 61.8 years. All of them were also considered as ‘non-exercisers’, which meant that they did not have a regular exercise routine. The study followed the participants for nearly seven years.
The results showed that during the study period, some 852 participants passed away. It was reported that 511 passed from cancer, and 266 passed away from cardiovascular disease.
When researchers were analysing the activity trends among the participants, they noticed that those who had ‘brief bursts of Vigorous Intermittent Lifestyle Physical Activity (VILPA)’ daily had a significantly lower risk of death.
The results showed that participants who engaged in three one-minute stints of exercise (lasting about 1-2 minutes each ‘showed a 38 to 40 per cent reduction in all-cause and cancer mortality risk, and a 48–49 per cent reduction in cardiovascular mortality risk’.
Mark Hamer, the study’s co-author and Professor of Sport and Exercise Medicine at the University College London, explained what counts as a ‘short burst of exercise’.
‘This could be things like playing with children. It could be [that] you see your bus just about to leave so you have to walk extremely quickly to catch up to the bus. It may be that you live in [an apartment] and you have to carry that shopping up a flight of stairs,’ he explained.
Shorter bouts of movement, when done frequently, can minimise our mortality risk and have a positive effect on our strength.
Emmanuel Stamatakis, a Professor at the University of Sydney and the lead author of the study, said that an easy way to measure exercise intensity is to pay attention to how well you can speak while working out.
He shared that if you can speak comfortably, but can’t sing a song, for instance, that means that the exercise is considered ‘moderate’. If you can only speak a few words (or none at all), that means the ‘short burst of movement’ you did is in ‘vigorous’ territory.
This study shows that we don’t have to train for a marathon to reap the benefits of exercise, and improve our overall health and longevity, a little is all it takes.
There are other ways to get those ‘short bursts of exercise’, and the best part is that you don’t have to change into gym clothes, wake up at the crack of dawn, need special equipment, or drive to the gym to do them:
What are your thoughts on this study? Will you try some of the recommendations? Share them with us in the comments below!
But what if we told you there was a simpler, faster way to boost your health, without spending hours and hours in the gym? In fact, you only need three minutes.
According to the results of a new study published in the journal Nature Medicine, we may only need to spend three minutes a day exercising to reap big rewards when it comes to our health.
Researchers from Australia and Europe analysed data from the UK Biobank from a sample of 25,241 people, with an average age of 61.8 years. All of them were also considered as ‘non-exercisers’, which meant that they did not have a regular exercise routine. The study followed the participants for nearly seven years.
The study analysed data from the UK Biobank. Credit: Lukas/Pexels
The results showed that during the study period, some 852 participants passed away. It was reported that 511 passed from cancer, and 266 passed away from cardiovascular disease.
When researchers were analysing the activity trends among the participants, they noticed that those who had ‘brief bursts of Vigorous Intermittent Lifestyle Physical Activity (VILPA)’ daily had a significantly lower risk of death.
The results showed that participants who engaged in three one-minute stints of exercise (lasting about 1-2 minutes each ‘showed a 38 to 40 per cent reduction in all-cause and cancer mortality risk, and a 48–49 per cent reduction in cardiovascular mortality risk’.
Mark Hamer, the study’s co-author and Professor of Sport and Exercise Medicine at the University College London, explained what counts as a ‘short burst of exercise’.
‘This could be things like playing with children. It could be [that] you see your bus just about to leave so you have to walk extremely quickly to catch up to the bus. It may be that you live in [an apartment] and you have to carry that shopping up a flight of stairs,’ he explained.
Short bursts of physical activity greatly benefit your body. Credit: Karolina Grabowska/Pexels
Shorter bouts of movement, when done frequently, can minimise our mortality risk and have a positive effect on our strength.
Emmanuel Stamatakis, a Professor at the University of Sydney and the lead author of the study, said that an easy way to measure exercise intensity is to pay attention to how well you can speak while working out.
He shared that if you can speak comfortably, but can’t sing a song, for instance, that means that the exercise is considered ‘moderate’. If you can only speak a few words (or none at all), that means the ‘short burst of movement’ you did is in ‘vigorous’ territory.
This study shows that we don’t have to train for a marathon to reap the benefits of exercise, and improve our overall health and longevity, a little is all it takes.
There are other ways to get those ‘short bursts of exercise’, and the best part is that you don’t have to change into gym clothes, wake up at the crack of dawn, need special equipment, or drive to the gym to do them:
- Walk a steep incline
- Take the stairs instead of the elevator (and keep your pace up!)
- If you have pets, run around the backyard with them
- Dance your heart out for a minute straight (no one’s going to see you anyway!)
- Do some jumping jacks
- Fast-walk around your house
- Squat as low and as fast as you can for one minute (this one works your glutes too!)
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