Most Americans don’t get enough exercise. However, new research suggests that physical activity doesn’t have to take place in a gym – or even look like traditional “exercise” – to transform your health.
A study published in October in British Journal of Sports Medicine found that short bursts of intense physical activity – such as climbing stairs or carrying groceries – can significantly reduce the risk of cardiovascular events in those who do not normally exercise. This was especially true for women.
Researchers analyzed data from more than 13,000 women and 9,300 men over nearly eight years. They found that women who engaged in low amounts of vigorous occasional physical activity (VILPA) also had a lower risk of major cardiovascular problems such as heart attack, heart failure and stroke compared to their non-exercising peers.
This is not a substitute for regular exercise, especially for those who already live an active lifestyle, experts say. But the findings offer a promising starting point for those who may be unwilling or unable to engage in more traditional exercise.
“This type of activity may be more feasible than structured exercise for many people because it does not require preparation, time commitment, or travel to a facility to be active,” study author Dr. Emmanuel Stamatakisprofessor of physical activity, lifestyle and population health at the University of Sydney’s Faculty of Health Sciences, said Health.
Here’s what the experts had to say about the new research, plus how to get more physical activity into your daily routine.
For this study, Stamatakis and his colleagues specifically examined the effects of VILPA, which refers to short but intense bursts of movement during daily activities.
Using the UK Biobank database, researchers followed 22,368 participants who were around 62 years old on average. People were classified as non-exercisers if they said they did not engage in any leisure-time exercise and took no more than one recreational walk per week.
Participants wore an accelerometer on their wrist for a week — these devices recorded data in 10-second increments, allowing the research team to examine daily movement in detail.
“These are short bursts of vigorous incidental activity, typically lasting 10 seconds to a minute, that are part of people’s daily lives,” Stamatakis said.
Next, the researchers tracked how many major cardiovascular events occurred among the participants. During approximately eight years of follow-up, 331 women and 488 men had a heart attack, stroke or heart disease.
The data showed that “women who took VILPA for an average of 3.4 minutes per day were 45% less likely to experience a major cardiovascular event,” Stamatakis said. “They were also 51% less likely to have a heart attack and 67% less likely to develop heart failure than women who did not take VILPA.”
The benefits were even more pronounced among women who committed to these short bursts of vigorous activity almost daily and averaged about nine to 10 bursts, Stamatakis said.
However, the same was not true for men – the results were not statistically significant. Because of this, researchers recommend that men prioritize a more structured approach to exercise.
Although the results of the study are interesting, there are several important limitations. First, the data was collected in a relatively short period of time, he said Ankit Shah, MD, MPHassociate professor of cardiology at the Johns Hopkins School of Medicine and founder of sports and performance cardiology.
“Do these people otherwise live healthier lives?” “I just don’t know if you can make that strong a conclusion based on seven days of data,” he said Health.
Stamatakis also noted that because this is an observational study, they can’t say with absolute certainty that the reduction in heart attacks, strokes and heart disease is necessarily caused by people’s physical activity.
“However, we took several statistical measures to narrow down the interpretation to causality,” he said.
While incorporating VILPA throughout the day appears to be beneficial for heart health, it shouldn’t necessarily change how people approach exercise.
“We shouldn’t be fooled into thinking that small amounts of VILPA are a quick fix for a complex problem like physical inactivity,” Stamatakis said. Building a more active lifestyle in general is key.
However, the study’s findings show that even a little high-intensity activity can be beneficial for cardiovascular health — and may be a catalyst to help people develop more regular exercise habits.
Current World Health Organization (WHO) guidelines recommend that people get at least 150 minutes of moderate physical activity or 75 minutes of vigorous activity per week, usually divided into sessions lasting at least 10 minutes or more.
However, in 2018, these recommendations were updated to confirm that even shorter periods of activity can be beneficial to health. This research supports that practice.
“Most doctors don’t necessarily know about it,” Alan Rozanski, MDcardiologist and professor of medicine at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, said Health. “That’s the message we have to convey to the public.”
Studies like this may provide more realistic solutions for patients, Rozanski added, especially if they struggle to incorporate exercise into their weekly routines.
“Now I can ask my patients: Can you give me five minutes a day for a brisk walk?” he said. “Patients are more likely to report.” And they’re more likely to feel good about having done it.”
For those unable to commit to formal exercise, finding opportunities for short bursts of movement throughout the day can make all the difference.
Short, frequent bouts of activity (lasting about one to two minutes) may accumulate over the course of a day or week. Look for moments to add activity naturally into your day, Rozanski recommended.
For example, instead of driving to your mailbox, you can walk. Take the stairs instead of the elevator. Park away from the store. If you are with your children at the playground, play actively with them instead of scrolling on your phone.
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), choosing activities you enjoy, making time in your schedule, and going with friends can also be helpful strategies in building a sustainable exercise regimen.
“All of that can go a long way,” Shah said. “A lot of it is just thinking about how you approach your day-to-day life.”