For this study, researchers analyzed health data from more than 24,000 participants to the U.K. Biobank accelerometry substudy, where participants wore accelerometers on their wrists for 7 days.

All participants were classified as nonexercisers and had an average age of 62.

Through the accelerometers, scientists measured the incidental physical activity of all participants at different intensity levels — vigorous, moderate, and light.

Examples of incidental physical activity include climbing stairs, walking a dog, mopping the floor, mowing the lawn, and adding in extra walking by parking further away or getting off a bus or subway stop early. In short, it refers to everyday activities that require a somewhat higher level of physical exerton.

“Incidental physical activity, things we do as part of our daily routines, offers many, largely untapped, opportunities,” Stamatakis said. “However, we do not understand very well what is the best way to promote incidental activity, and how to support people [integrating] it into their day to day routines.”

“For example, most previous research on the health effects of physical activity focused on questionnaire measured exercise and sports participation done in long blocks of time [of] 15 continuous minutes and over,” he noted.

“Incidental activities are short and sporadic, so most of existing research gives us limited information on incidental physical activity, including [vigorous incidental physical activity],” said Stamatakis.

Upon analysis, Stamatakis and his team found that about 4.6 minutes per day of vigorous-intensity incidental physical activity and about 23.8 minutes per day of moderate incidental physical activity were correlated to a significantly lower risk for both cardiovascular events and deaths.

“Assuming that these findings reflect causal relationships, their implications would be significant in the practical sense, both for lay people and clinicians, such as general practitioners and cardiologists,” Stamatakis said.

“These findings suggest that supporting people to develop habits that involve integrating into their daily routine regular bouts of incidental activity of moderate or vigorous intensity, i.e. an effort that gets you out at least slightly out of breath, could be beneficial for long term heart health.”

– Emmanuel Stamatakis, PhD, MSc, BSc

Additionally, the researchers discovered that participating in about 1 minute of vigorous-intensity incidental physical activity had a similar impact on reducing heart disease and death risk as about 3–3.5 minutes of moderate-intensity incidental physical activity and about 35–48 minutes of light incidental physical activity.

“Many people are unaccustomed to high intensity exercise, partly because they do not have the time or interest or capacity to do vigorous sports and such structured exercise,” Stamatakis noted.

“In the context of incidental activity, vigorous intensity is ultra efficient. First, you do not need to make the time for it — [it] happens during regular activities. Plus, as our findings suggest, it can make a big health return per minute. A win-win for people who do not customarily exercise,” he added.

“Use existing opportunities to increase physical activity intensity in day to day life, e.g. use stairs instead of elevators,” he suggested. “Start from any amount that feels comfortable and build to at least around four to five minutes of vigorous or 15–25 minutes of moderate intensity activity a day, or equivalent combinations of moderate and vigorous.“

“Such activity can be accumulated during the day through short bouts lasting from 30 seconds to five minutes. If such opportunities are not readily available, create them, e.g park the car 500 [meters] away and walk fast to the final destination,” the researcher advised.

MNT had the opportunity to speak with Hoang Nguyen, MD, a board-certified interventional cardiologist at MemorialCare Heart & Vascular Institute at Orange Coast Medical Center in Fountain Valley, CA, about this study.

Nguyen, who was not involved in the research, said he appreciated its novel approach to determine if incidental physical activity confers cardiovascular mortality and/or overall mortality benefits.

“[Incidental physical activity] are routine activities of daily living such house-hold chores, transportation, or leisure activities,” Nguyen explained. “As it turns out, even moderate [incidental physical activity] (24 minutes per day) can confer a significant reduction in all-cause mortality, up to 47%. This is very promising as it is not just cardiovascular mortality, it is indeed all-cause mortality.”

“People are often discouraged by structured exercises [such as] going to the gym, etc., because they simply don’t have the time or the resources to do so,” he continued. “What this study shows us is that incidental physical activity can have a significant impact on cardiovascular health and allow people to live longer.”

Nguyen added:

“I often encourage my patients who do not participate in structured exercise programs to increase cardiovascular fitness by adopting more physical activity with activities [in] their daily lives. These include using the stairs rather than the elevator when going to work or running errands. They can walk to their local restaurants rather than drive there if feasible. Finding new ways to promote healthy living with minimal effort and resources have a significant impact on one’s longevity, morbidities, and strain on the healthcare system.”

MNT also spoke with Grant Simons, MD, FACC, FHRS, chief of Heart Rhythm Services at Hackensack University Medical Center in New Jersey, about this research.

“This finding is exciting due to its analysis of short bursts of activity, which is new and noteworthy,” Simons, who was not involved in the study, commented.

“Although it is well-established that regular physical activity, even at moderate levels, significantly reduces the risk of cardiovascular disease and premature death, a frequent question our patients ask is regarding whether short bursts of activity are of benefit,” he noted.

“This new study strengthens the case for incorporating more movement into our daily lives, even in small doses, and provides more specific guidance on how little can still make a difference,” Simons continued. “It also encourages further research to refine these recommendations and explore the optimal ‘dose’ of incidental activity for different populations.”

“The research on short bursts of vigorous or moderate activity and their impact on cardiovascular health is promising, but more work is needed to solidify these findings and translate them into effective public health recommendations,” he added. “Larger studies with more diverse populations (age, ethnicity, socioeconomic status, pre-existing health conditions) are needed to confirm the findings and understand how these short activity bursts affect different groups.”