Adherence
Accumulating moderate-to-vigorous intermittent lifestyle physical activity (MV-ILPA) in bouts of 1 to 10 minutes is associated with significantly lower all-cause mortality and major adverse cardiovascular events (MACE) compared to bouts shorter than 1 minute, independent of total physical activity volume.
If you don't currently exercise, start by breaking up your day with short bursts of moderate-to-vigorous activity. Aim for 1 to 10-minute bouts of brisk walking or similar activity scattered throughout your day. These 'lifestyle' bursts are just as effective for reducing heart disease and mortality risk as longer, structured workouts, and they require no special equipment or time commitment.
Compared with bouts of less than 1 min, mortality risk was lower for bouts of 1 min to less than 3 min (hazard ratio [HR] 0·66 [0·53–0·81]), 3 min to less than 5 min (HR 0·56 [0·46–0·69]), and 5 to less than 10 min (HR 0·48 [0·39–0·59]). Similarly, compared with bouts of less than 1 min, risk of MACE was lower for bouts of 1 min to less than 3 min (HR 0·71 [0·54–0·93]), 3 min to less than 5 min (0·62 [0·48–0·81]), and 5 min to less than 10 min (0·59 [0·46–0·76]).
Why this rating
Large prospective cohort study (n=25,241) with objective device-measured data and long follow-up, though observational design limits causal inference.
Source
Brief bouts of device-measured intermittent lifestyle physical activity and its association with major adverse cardiovascular events and mortality in people who do not exercise: a prospective cohort study
Matthew Ahmadi et al. · The Lancet Public Health · 2023
This is one finding among thousands. Every one is graded and traced to its source, so you can see what the evidence actually supports. Browse the research →