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 a traditional “workout”—to make a difference for your health.
A study published in October in the British Journal of Sports Medicine found that short bursts of intense physical activity—such as climbing a flight of stairs or carrying groceries—can significantly reduce the risk of cardiovascular events in those who otherwise don’t exercise. This was particularly true for women.
Researchers analyzed data from more than 13,000 women and 9,300 men over the course of nearly eight years. They found that women who engaged in small amounts of vigorous intermittent lifestyle physical activity (VILPA) also had a lower risk of major cardiovascular issues such as heart attack, heart failure, and stroke compared to their non-exercising peers.
This isn’t a substitute for regular exercise, especially for those who already live active lifestyles, experts said. But the findings offer a promising starting point for those who may be unwilling or unable to engage in more traditional workouts.
“This kind of activity may be more feasible than structured exercise for many people as it does not require preparations, time commitment, or traveling to a facility to be active,” study author Emmanuel Stamatakis, PhD, professor of physical activity, lifestyle, and population health at the University of Sydney’s School of Health Sciences, told Health.
Here’s what 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 brief but intense bursts of movement during daily activities.
Using the U.K. Biobank database, researchers tracked 22,368 participants who were, on average, about 62 years old. People were classified as non-exercisers if they said they didn’t engage in any exercise in their leisure time and went on no more than one recreational walk weekly.
The participants wore an accelerometer on their wrist for a week—these devices captured data in 10-second increments, allowing the research team to examine daily movement in close detail.
“These are short bursts of vigorous incidental activity, typically lasting 10 seconds to one minute, that are part of people’s daily living,” said Stamatakis.
Then, the researchers tracked how many major cardiovascular events took place among the participants. Over the course of about eight years of follow-up, 331 women and 488 men had either a heart attack, stroke, or heart disease.
The data showed that “women who averaged 3.4 minutes of VILPA daily were 45% less likely to experience a major cardiovascular event,” said Stamatakis. “They were also 51% less likely to have a heart attack and 67% less likely to develop heart failure than women who did no 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, said Stamatakis.
However, the same wasn’t true for men—the results were not statistically significant. Because of this, the researchers recommend that men prioritize a more structured approach to exercise.
Though the study’s results are interesting, there are a few important limitations. For one, the data was collected from a relatively short time frame, said Ankit Shah, MD, MPH, adjunct associate professor of cardiology at Johns Hopkins School of Medicine and founder of Sports and Performance Cardiology.
“Are those people otherwise living more healthy lifestyles? I just don’t know if you can make such a strong conclusion from seven days of data,” he told Health.
Stamatakis also noted that, since this is an observational study, they can’t say with complete certainty that the reduction in heart attacks, stroke, and heart diseases was necessarily caused by people’s physical activity.
“However, we took several statistical measures to narrow down interpretation to causation,” he said.
Though incorporating VILPA throughout the day seems to be beneficial for heart health, it shouldn’t necessarily change how people approach exercise.
“We should not be fooled into thinking that small amounts of VILPA are a quick fix of a complex problem like physical inactivity,” said Stamatakis. Building a more active lifestyle overall is key.
However, the study’s findings indicate that even a little bit of high-intensity activity can be beneficial for cardiovascular health—and it could be a catalyst to help people develop more regular exercise habits.
Current guidelines from the World Health Organization (WHO) recommend people get at least 150 minutes of moderate physical activity or 75 minutes of vigorous activity per week, typically broken into sessions lasting at least 10 minutes or more.
However, in 2018, these recommendations were updated to acknowledge that even shorter bouts of activity can benefit health. This research supports that practice.
“Most doctors don’t necessarily know about it,” Alan Rozanski, MD, cardiologist and professor of medicine at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, told Health. “That’s a message that we have to get out to the public.”
Studies like this can provide more realistic solutions for patients, Rozanski added, particularly if they’re struggling to incorporate exercise into their weekly routines.
“I can now ask my patients: Can you give me five minutes a day for a brisk walk?“ he said. “Patients are more likely to sign on. And they’re more likely to feel good about themselves that they did that.”
For those unable to commit to formal exercise, finding opportunities for short bursts of movement throughout the day can make a difference.
Short, frequent bouts of activity (lasting about one- to two-minutes) can add up over 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 further from the store. If you’re with your children at a 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 doing, setting aside time in your schedule, and moving with friends can also be helpful strategies in building a lasting workout regimen.
“All of that can go a long way,” said Shah. “A lot of it is just being thoughtful about how you approach your daily life.”
