Have you ever skipped exercise because you didn't have enough time?
According to a recent study in the European Heart Journal, it has been determined that just 8 minutes of exercise can be beneficial!
How is that possible?
During the study, over 71,000 people from the UK wore fitness trackers, and their health status was monitored for approximately 6 years. The study tracked occurrences of heart disease, cancer, and deaths.
That’s a lot of data.
They found that even just exercising vigorously for 15-20 minutes per week provided health benefits as opposed to not exercising at all.
Exercising vigorously for two minutes, twice a day, is associated with a 35% lower risk of death from heart disease.
The recommended amount of vigorous exercise is 54 minutes per week, which is equivalent to 8 minutes per day.
The benefits stopped increasing after 8 minutes per day.
The reason why this recommendation is different from the usual 30 minutes of exercise at least 5 times per week is because we're talking about 8 minutes of intense exercise instead of moderate exercise.
Vigorous Exercise Means:
Your heart rate is above 77% of your maximum, assuming that you are wearing a fitness tracker.
Breathing too hard to have a comfortable conversation
You can choose any activity that makes you feel out of breath, such as dancing, running, biking, or lifting weights.
Although I don't mind going for a long walk or bike ride, this study is great news for those who have a busy schedule!
Have you ever experimented with brief periods of exercise rather than extended ones? Let us know how it goes!
Reference
Ahmadi MN, Clare PJ, Katzmarzyk PT, Del Pozo Cruz B, Lee IM, Stamatakis E. Vigorous physical activity, incident heart disease, and cancer: how little is enough? [published online ahead of print, 2022 Oct 27]. Eur Heart J. 2022. [link]