Moving your body for short bursts of vigorous activity every day for just one to three minutes can significantly cut the risk of heart attack, stroke and premature death.
A new study has found it can be just as beneficial as being active for 10 minutes.
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Researchers at the University of Sydney tracked more than 25,000 people for eight years as they moved about, measuring not only structured exercise but also incidental, everyday movements such as climbing the stairs or vacuuming the floor.
In a paper published on Sunday in The Lancet, the group showed that moving consistently for at least one to three minutes led to a 29 per cent benefit to people's health, and was more beneficial than very short bursts of less than one minute.
Lead author Emmanuel Stamatakis said while it had been long understood any incidental activity was good for humans, it wasn't clear about the length of time people needed to move to reap the benefits.
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"The take-home message here is any type of activity is good for your health, but the more effort you put into those daily tasks and the longer you keep up that energy, the more benefits you are likely to reap," Professor Stamatakis said.
The University of Sydney team collaborated with UK universities, using machine learning to analyse the seven-day incidental physical activity patterns of 25, 241 UK adults aged 42 to 78.
Co-lead author Doctor Matthew Ahmadi said the findings proved people could reduce their risk of major cardiac events by engaging in daily living activities of at least moderate intensity for at least one to three minutes.
"In fact, it appears that this can have comparable health benefits to longer bouts lasting five to 10 minutes," he said.
The researchers say the study provides some of the first direct evidence supporting the idea that movement doesn't have to be completed in continuous 10-minute blocks to be beneficial.
They say this should encourage people to take the stairs or walk when they can, with fewer than one in five middle-aged adults engaging in regular exercise.
Prof Stamatakis said people don't have to run a marathon to stay in shape and extend their lives, just a short walk from the car carrying the groceries can be enough.
"If you are huffing and puffing and unable to hold a conversation for some of that time you have hit the sweet spot," he said.
