Finding the time to exercise isn't always easy – and getting to the gym when you're busy is even harder. But new research suggests just one minute per day of vigorous activity can help you live a healthier and longer life.
As part of the study, University of Sydney Professor Emmanuel Stamatakis and his research team wanted to 'determine if vigorous intermittent lifestyle physical activity (VILPA) completed through normal daily living may offer a time-efficient avenue to accrue physical activity in a behaviourally sustainable manner'. For just 420 seconds each week, it seems the answer is yes.
The Study
Looking at 3,293 American adults who self-reported no participation in structured exercise and with an average age of nearly 51, researchers asked them to each wear fitness trackers for a week to assess their normal activity levels. Each participant had taken part in the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) in the US, helping to offer a nationally representative sample size.
With follow-ups taking place over an average of six years, researchers then looked to determine if there was a dose-response association between vigorous intermittent lifestyle physical activity and mortality risk in the group. Vigorous activity includes incidental exercise, such as carrying heavy loads, playing energetically with children or walking up steep hills.
The Results
The study concluded that those who completed just a minute of vigorous activity each day were 38% less likely to die over the course of the next six years compared to those who did none. In fact, the vigorous activity didn't even need to last for a full minute, with researchers suggesting it could be broken up into six, 10-second intervals over the course of the day. For little effort, it's possible to help negate any long-term consequences of a lack of activity.
'Short bursts of intermittent vigorous physical activity were associated with meaningful health benefits in a nationally representative sample of US adults,' the study concluded.
Released in August 2025, the study is awaiting peer review, however, while one of the study's researchers, Dr Emmanuel Stamatakis, still heeds caution despite the findings. 'Logically, it does make sense that it could have health benefits. But with this type of study, you can never prove causation,' he told New Scientist.
What This Means for You
So, should you stop going to the gym or retire your running shoes, and simply reserve your energy for those six separate one-minute bursts each day? Probably not. Considering the study looked at adults who didn't exercise whatsoever, they were all starting from a level of zero fitness, relatively. Any amount of daily exercise, therefore, would have proved an improvement on their lives.
In the UK, the NHS recommends adults complete at least 150 minutes of moderate-intensity activity per week, such as brisk walking, or 75 minutes of vigorous activity, like running, instead. Just seven minutes a week falls some way short of those recommendations.
Stamatakis' long-term aim is to further encourage the amount of people exercising through everyday, incidental tasks, and he's planning further studies to help provide stronger evidence.
