There are two things I’ve learned while covering health here at HuffPost UK; exercise is really, really good for us, and you probably don’t need to do as much as you think.
We’ve recently covered the two studies that suggest “weekend warriors” may get as many health advantages as those who work out consistently throughout the week, including lower risks of dementia and better heart health.
And now, a new study brings further good news ― researchers at University College London and the University of Sydney wanted to find out whether just a teeny-tiny amount of exercise can boost our health.
And as it happens, it does.
How much time did they trial?
The study, published in Circulation, involved 15,000 participants.
They were all wearing trackers that let researchers know how much they’d moved throughout the day, and their blood pressure was measured both before and after the study.
They found that five minutes of exercise per day may have had a positive effect on participants’ blood pressure.
“The finding that doing as little as five extra minutes of exercise per day could be associated with measurably lower blood pressure readings emphasises how powerful short bouts of higher intensity movement could be for blood pressure management,” joint senior author Professor Emmanuel Stamatakis told the University of Sydney.
The paper found an extra five minutes could lower (SBP) by 0.68 millimetres of mercury (mmHg) and diastolic blood pressure (DBP) by 0.54mmHg.
Should you choose to do more, the study suggests, you may get better results.
They found that 20-27 minutes of exercise per day could potentially reduce cardiovascular disease by up to 28%.
It may not be helpful to get caught up in intimidating ideas of workouts
Activity is very good for us, and the NHS themselves say exercise doesn’t have to mean barbells and complicated machines (though it’s good for your bones if it does).
They list pushing a wheelchair and gardening as forms of exercise; this study seems to confirm they were right to do so.
“The good news is that whatever your physical ability, it doesn’t take long to have a positive effect on blood pressure,” the study’s first author Dr Jo Blodgett said.
“What’s unique about our exercise variable is that it includes all exercise-like activities, from running for a bus or a short cycling errand, many of which can be integrated into daily routines.”
“For those who don’t do a lot of exercise, walking did still have some positive benefits for blood pressure,” Dr Blodgett added.
“But if you want to change your blood pressure, putting more demand on the cardiovascular system through exercise will have the greatest effect.”