Five minutes of daily exercise can improve heart health and lower the risk of early death, according to a new study [1].
These findings suggest that cardiovascular fitness and longevity do not require hours of gym time. By reducing sedentary behavior through short bursts of activity, individuals may be able to add years to their lives [2].
Researchers based in Australia conducted the study using data analyzed from the U.S. Biobank [1, 2]. The data indicates that as little as five minutes of daily exercise [1], or roughly 30 minutes per week [2], provides significant health benefits.
According to the researchers, these benefits are most pronounced when the activity is high-intensity. "Just 30 minutes of high‑intensity exercise per week — broken into tiny bursts of effort that leave you out of breath — can dramatically improve cardiovascular fitness," researchers said [2].
The study highlights that these short intervals of effort help reduce the time a person spends being sedentary. This shift in daily habits is linked to improved cardiovascular fitness, which is a primary driver of a longer lifespan [2].
This discovery shifts the focus from long-form athletic training to manageable lifestyle adjustments. "Tiny lifestyle changes could confer significant heart health protection, a new study suggests," researchers said [3].
The research follows a pattern of investigating minimal effective doses of activity. For instance, a 2024 study found that five minutes of exercise may help reduce blood pressure under certain conditions, researchers said [4].
“Just 30 minutes of high‑intensity exercise per week... can dramatically improve cardiovascular fitness.”
This research suggests a lowering of the barrier to entry for public health improvements. By demonstrating that marginal increases in activity—specifically high-intensity bursts—can correlate with increased longevity, the study provides a scalable model for improving population health in sedentary societies without requiring extensive infrastructure or time commitments.
