EXERCISE is one of the best ways to stay healthy, but most people struggle to fit enough into their days.
Over a third of Brits aren't active enough for good health, according to the Government.
However, new research suggests that just a couple of 60-second bursts of exercise each day could be enough to reduce your risk of an early death.
Daily activities like running for the bus, bursts of power walking while doing errands or playing high-energy games with the kids were listed by the scientists as good exercises.
The study, published in Nature Medicine, found that several one minute bursts of these activities each day have similar benefits to high-intensity interval training (HIIT), which celebs like Scarlett Johansson, and Jennifer Lopez are fans of.
Lead author Emmanuel Stamatakis of the University of Sydney said: “A few very short bouts totalling three to four minutes a day could go a long way, and there are many daily activities that can be tweaked to raise your heart rate for a minute or so.”
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Emmanuel and his colleagues used a data set from the UK, to analyse everyday physical activity of more than 25,000 adults who reported that they didn’t exercise.
Participants of the study wore smart watches for seven days and their health events and outcomes were then tracked for about seven years.
The experts found that people who hadn't engaged in 'proper' exercise but had got in a few minutes of vigorous physical activity from everyday activities, had a 40 per cent lower risk of dying during the study period than those who did nothing.
This was true for death by any cause, including cancer.
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Getting this small amount of intense physical activity was linked to an even greater risk reduction of dying from heart disease: about 48 per cent.
The scientists said the study reveals how incidental physical activity can overcome many barriers.
Emmanuel said: “Upping the intensity of daily activities requires no time commitment, no preparation, no club memberships, no special skills.
"It simply involves stepping up the pace while walking or doing the housework with a bit more energy."
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