Just a couple minutes of vigorous activity several times a day might lower one's risk of death
Short bursts of intense movement — the kind that leaves you huffing and puffing — is associated with a lower risk of death, a study found.
A little exertion can go a long way in improving health, according to a new study.
The research, published Thursday in the journal Nature Medicine, suggests that short bursts of intense movement — the kind that leaves you huffing and puffing — is associated with a lower risk of premature death.
For the study, researchers at the University of Sydney analyzed a collection of data from around 25,000 people in the U.K. who wore wrist devices that tracked their movement.
The researchers looked at physiological data the wrist trackers recorded over a one-week span. They chose participants who'd said they did not exercise or play sports and went on one or fewer recreational walks per week.
But 89% of those people, the analysis found, still exerted themselves through daily activities like climbing flights of stairs, running for the bus or carrying heavy groceries. The researchers defined this type of heart-rate-raising movement as "vigorous activity."
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