5 Minutes of Exercise Each Day Linked to Longevity

Five minutes may not seem like a lot of time in the grand scheme of things. It barely feels like enough time to brew a pot of coffee, write an email, or heck, decide what to cook for dinner. However, five minutes is enough time to contribute to a longer life.

A recent paper published in The Lancet suggests that just five extra minutes of moderate- to vigorous-intensity physical activity each day could prevent premature death. Moderate-intensity exercise is anything that feels somewhat challenging, but doesn’t completely wipe you out, like brisk walking or a steady jog. Vigorous-intensity exercise are workouts that gets you breathing hard to the point where you can’t say more than a few words, such as running all-out.

Keep reading to learn more about the study’s findings and how a few extra minutes of movement each day can go a long way when it comes to your health.

Does Moving More Mean a Longer Life? Research Says Yes.

The researchers behind this paper examined health data from previous studies involving more than 135,000 people. Data on participants was collected from adults in the United States, Sweden, Norway, and the United Kingdom, and from the UK Biobank—a huge anonymous dataset of people’s biological information that scientists can use to inform their research.

The researchers focused on the amount of moderate-to-vigorous physical activity people got each day and how long they spent being sedentary. This data was used to figure out the percentage of early deaths that could be prevented if people got five to ten more minutes of movement each day or sat 30 to 60 minutes less each day.

The results? After a follow-up of the participants after an average of eight years, “a five-minute increase in moderate-intensity activity may prevent ten percent of all deaths if everybody in the population increases their activity by this amount,” says one of the paper’s authors, Ulf Ekelund, a professor of physical activity epidemiology and health at the Norwegian School of Sport Sciences.

How Movement Improves Longevity

These findings align with previous research that suggests exercise can reduce your risk of death, lower the risk of cardiovascular disease, and some cancers. Why is this the case?

“Exercise strengthens your heart and lungs, improving blood flow to vital organs and oxygen delivery to tissues. It reduces inflammation, helps cells use energy more efficiently, and improves cell survival,” says Dr. Basmah Safdar, an emergency medicine physician and director of Women’s Health Research at Yale School of Medicine.

Plus, exercise is associated with better memory, sleep, and mental health, Safdar explains. And improvements in those three areas are linked to a longer life.

Doctor-Approved Tips for Squeezing in Five Extra Minutes of Exercise Each Day

Many people don’t adhere to the current physical activity recommendations, says Ekelund. According to the World Health Organization, adults between 18 and 65 should aim for 150 minutes of moderate-intensity or 75 minutes of vigorous-intensity exercise each week, and incorporate strength training twice a week. Meeting these recommendations can be hard during a particularly busy week full of work meetings, family responsibilities, and other obligations. But every movement counts, he says.

No matter if you ski powder, train for triathlons, or bag peaks in your spare time, there are plenty of simple ways to sneak five extra minutes of movement into your days, according to Safdar:

• Take the stairs instead of the elevator
• Do squats or push-ups at your desk between meetings or in the kitchen as you make a meal
• Do wall sits while waiting for your coffee to brew
• Add lunges while vacuuming at home
• Try taking walks during meetings to break up sitting time
• Opt for warm-ups and cool-downs before and after your workouts

Want more Outside health stories? Sign up for the Bodywork newsletter. If you’re ready to become a runner, join The Weekly 45 Challenge on MapMy. The goal is to log 45 minutes of running or run-walking each week in March. That’s it. Plus, you can earn badges along the way and even win some cool prizes.