News: Even one minute of exercise adds up to better health

Every little bit counts. At least that’s what researchers are saying about exercise. We’ve previously been told that a minimum of 10 minutes or more of physical activity was necessary to be beneficial but new research from a Queen’s University study suggests that any form of "incidental physical activity"’think sweeping the floor, taking the stairs, vacuuming, gardening’could add up to significant health gains. These bouts of micro-exercise could be as short as one minute.

In an article from The Globe and Mail, Ashlee McGuire, a recent PhD graduate in kinesiology and health studies at Queen’s University says the benefits from these "micro-bursts" of activity should be encouraging to sedentary people who find exercise daunting.

I think this is also good news for people like myself who can’t always find time to get to the gym everyday. Sure, an intense cardio session will produce greater results’especially if you’re looking to lose weight’but for those days when you’re working, running around doing errands or shuttling the kids to and from after-school activities, you’re still able to get a moderate amount of exercise which can contribute to your cardiovascular fitness level. McGuire was careful to point out, however, that while accumulating activity in short increments of time is an improvement for some, it’s still not as beneficial as getting the recommended 30 minutes of physical activity five times a week.

Check out this infographic to see how moderately active tasks stack up against other activities.

Does this research motivate you to keep moving’no matter how short in time the activity might be?

Related:
‘ 7 workouts that work
‘ Are sports and video games real workouts?
‘ Maximize your exercise