As little as 15 minutes of exercise a day can boost life expectancy by three years according to the latest research from Taiwan.
The research findings published in medical journal, The Lancet, on Tuesday, tracked over 416,000 participants for 13 years, analysing their health records and reported levels of physical activity each year.
Just 15 minutes of moderate daily exercise such as brisk walking, was found to increase life expectancy by three years compared to those who remained inactive.
Lead researcher Chi Pang Wen of Taiwan's National Health Research Institutes told Reuters: "It's for men, women, the young and old, smokers, healthy and unhealthy people. Doctors, when they see any type of patient, this is a one-size-fits-all type of advice."
Daily exercise was also found to reduce cancer mortality by 10%.
Wenn added: "We hope this will make it more attractive for inactive people, that they can allocate 15 minutes a day, rather than 30, which is more difficult."
That said, finding the time for any kind of regular exercise regime, can be difficult when it's competing for diary space with a grueling work schedule and hectic social life.
Fitness author and personal trainer to the stars, Matt Roberts, suggests the following simple steps to squeeze fitness into the busiest of days:
Use your commute to burn calories. Run or walk to work if you can or - if you live in London - grab a Boris Bike.
- Walk or jog the kids to school whilst they walk or cycle with you.
- Use part of your lunch break for a quick gym blast of cardio work, or use 15 minutes to walk to a sandwich shop further away to eat.
- Do a home routine, alternating between upper and lower body exercises in a simple circuit to raise heart rate and work your muscles. Spend 15 minutes whilst watching the news.