According to recommendations from the World Health Organization (WHO), we should exercise for 150 minutes a week. However, there are great health benefits to being physically active for less time than that.
Adding five minutes of activity that raises the heart rate per day is linked in a new study to a six percent reduced risk of premature death among the group that moves the least.
It is clear that just that little bit extra actually makes a difference, says Maria Hagströmer, co-author of the study.
Four countries
The researchers from Sweden and Norway used data from several studies involving a total of around 135,000 people over the age of 40 in Sweden, Norway, the UK and the US. All participants recorded their physical activity with an activity monitor and were followed for an average of eight years.
After the researchers took into account gender, socioeconomic status, comorbidities and other factors that affect the risk of dying prematurely, the association between physical activity and increased longevity remained.
The study, published in the journal Lancet , also links reduced sedentary time to a lower risk of premature death. One hour less sedentary time per day was linked to a 13 percent lower risk of dying prematurely.
Those who move just a couple of minutes a day can make a big difference by moving for five more minutes. And it doesn't have to be a walk but can be some form of activity that raises the heart rate, says Ing-Mari Dohrn, associate professor of physiotherapy who is also a co-author of the study.
Observational study
The researchers point out that this is an observational study and that there are other relationships that may affect the association between physical activity and mortality, but that small changes can likely make a difference to public health.
Then the challenge is to get those who exercise the least to move more. Among those who are already very physically active, a little more doesn't make much of a difference, says Maria Hagströmer.
The Public Health Agency's recommendations for people aged 18–64:
Reduce sedentary lifestyle:
Adults should limit the amount of time they spend sitting still. Long periods of sitting should be broken up and replaced with some form of physical activity.
Heart rate-increasing physical activity for at least 150–300 minutes per week:
Adults should be physically active at a moderate intensity for at least 150–300 minutes each week, or at least 75–150 minutes of vigorous-intensity physical activity, or an equivalent combination of moderate and vigorous intensity. Moderate-intensity physical activity increases heart rate and breathing, while vigorous-intensity activity increases heart rate and breathing significantly.
More physical activity:
Additional health benefits can be achieved with increased physical activity. This means more than 300 minutes of moderate-intensity physical activity per week, or more than 150 minutes of vigorous-intensity physical activity, or an equivalent combination of moderate- and vigorous-intensity activity per week.
Adults should also engage in moderate-to-vigorous muscle-strengthening activities at least two days a week. These activities should involve all major muscle groups in the body.
