Heart disease is the leading cause of death in the U.S., according to the Centers of Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). Besides quitting smoking, eating a nutritious diet and maintaining a healthy weight, getting regular exercise is one of the best things you can do to help lower your risk of cardiovascular disease, diabetes, hypertension, obesity and even increase your longevity. But a new study shows you don’t have to partake in structured workouts to protect your ticker.
In fact, researchers found short bursts — as little as three minutes a day — of moderate to vigorous incidental physical activity (IPA) may cut the risk of a having a major adverse cardiovascular event, such as a heart attack or stroke, in half.
What is incidental physical activity?
Think of it as physical movement that’s not considered leisure or recreational exercise, says lead study author Emmanuel Stamatakis, Ph.D., a professor of physical activity, lifestyle and population health at the University of Sydney’s Charles Perkins Centre in Camperdown, Australia.
“Incidental physical activity is what we do on autopilot in our daily lives, when we move from place to place, perform domestic tasks and do things at work,” Stamatakis explains. Some examples include taking the stairs, carrying groceries, bursts of fast walking, housecleaning (mopping, vacuuming, scrubbing) and vigorous gardening.
It may surprise you, but only 24.2% of adults in the U.S. get the recommended 150 minutes of weekly moderate-intensity aerobic activity (such as brisk walking) and two days of muscle-strengthening activity (like lifting weights) each week.
Because so many people aren’t getting enough exercise, Stamatakis and his team wanted to find out what, if any, long-term cardiovascular benefits could come solely through incidental physical activity.
What the study found
The researchers looked at data from more than 24,000 adults, aged 40 to 79, who were all non-exercisers and free of heart disease. During the course of seven days, which included three weekdays and one weekend day, the participants wore a wristband accelerometer, which provided a daily detailed summary of any light (washing the dishes, walking the dog, a stroll to the photocopier), moderate (brisk walking, playing tag, moving, carrying, or pushing around things like a lawnmower) and vigorous (short jog, quickly climbing stairs, or more intense gardening like hoeing or digging up weeds) incidental physical activity.
A follow-up with the study subjects eight years later revealed the effects of the various levels of IPA in regards to cardiovascular risk. The median dose of vigorous (4.6 minutes a day) and moderate (23.8 to 23.9 minutes a day) incidental physical activity was associated with 25% to 38% and 40% to 50% lower risk of cardiovascular events (including deaths), respectively. In terms of preventing heart disease deaths and major cardiovascular events, the researchers learned that 1 minute of vigorous IPA was equal to 2.8 to 3.4 minutes of moderate IPA and 35 to 48 minutes of light IPA. Essentially, 3 minutes of moderate activity every day while you’re doing chores could lower your risk for heart problems.
What this means for you
All in all, the message is very clear, according to Stamatakis. “Know that no movement is wasted and all of it counts. Use any opportunity in life to move at higher intensity, like using stairs instead of elevators or parking your car further away,” he says. “You’ll improve the function of your heart and vessels and your body will respond positively.”
A good rule of thumb of how to determine what’s light, moderate and what’s vigorous incidental physical activity is to use the singing, speaking rule, suggests Stamatakis. “If someone can comfortably sing or speak while doing activity that means it’s light intensity, when people are doing moderate activity, you can still speak, but singing isn’t possible anymore, and when you hit vigorous intensity, you shouldn’t be able to speak or sing while doing it,” he explains.
The bottom line
Yes, the study shows shorter spurts of activity can help protect your heart, but that doesn’t mean you should give up exercising on the regular. You should still aim to get at least 150 minutes of moderate-intensity aerobic activity a week and when your schedule is tight, amp up the intensity of your everyday chores.
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