Engaging in aerobic workouts, such as walking, cycling or swimming, enables a rhythmic and repetitive exertion of the body’s major muscle groups. These activities amp up our heart rate and oxygen intake, aiding in protecting against heart disease, diabetes, hypertension and high cholesterol levels. Based on participants’ activity reports, esteemed recommendations suggest we engage in 150-300 minutes of modest to intense bodily exertion or 75-150 minutes of intense physical activity (IPA) per week for optimal health outcomes. For many, however, this calls for a significant time pledge, roughly an hour each day for gym-goers, and is thus hard to keep up with, leading to high drop-out rates in aerobic fitness programmes.
Yet, latest research indicates that incorporating intermittent short bouts (about two minutes) of IPA into one’s daily routine could substantially enhance our health, a finding summarised by Chuck Dinerstein and published in the American Council on Science and Health. There’s long-standing awareness of the connection between physical fitness and general health. As quoted from Plato, humankind is equipped with two elements for success in life – education and physical exertion. Absence of mobility can compromise our health condition, while consistent bodily exercise can guard and uphold it.
The causality between levels of physical activity and mortality has been established by prolific studies from the mid 20th century onwards. Research by Jeremy Morris, for instance, highlighted that London’s bus conductors, who were more engaged in physical work than bus drivers, had a lower rate of coronary heart disease and sudden cardiac deaths; Ralph Paffenbarger and peers brought to light a reverse correlation between physical activity, heart disease and overall mortality in the 70s.
A recent study published in the European Heart Journal by M Ahmadi and his team have shed light on the intriguing health benefits of brief intervals of Very Vigorous Activities (VPA). They inferred that just engaging in 15-20 minutes of VPA per week, in two-minute segments, could lower the mortality rate by 16 to 40 per cent. This trend continues up to 50 to 57 minutes of VPA weekly. Over 103,000 adults from the UK Biobank comprising those aged 40 to 69 partook in this study. Information about lifestyle habits, morbidity, and mortality rates concerning cancer and heart disease over six years was analysed, using accelerometer data for accurate measurement of physical exertion.
This raises questions. If all it takes is a minimal threefold reduction in time spent on VPA to reproduce an equivalent decrease in cancer and heart disease risk as what can be achieved via standard 75-150 minutes weekly workout guidelines, were the underpinnings of the latter flawed? Dinerstein argues otherwise, attributing the divergence to different measurement techniques. Conventional guidelines lean heavily on self-reports, which can be biased and uncertain due to memory lapses and vanity. On the other hand, accelerometer data offers a more precise measure of physical exertion.
While further verification of these findings is necessary in the scientific community, if they stand to scrutiny, it could be the most significant health discovery in recent memory. No longer can anyone rationalise their lack of adequate exercise with the excuse of lack of time. In reduced health risk lies a surprising revelation of small bursts of vigorous exercises throughout the week. Anyone in sound physical condition could incorporate these into their daily schedules – such as quick walks or fast ascend up some stairs. For instance, a few brisk five-minute strolls in my garden have become a part of my daily routine.
This highly promising and achievable VPA guideline has the potential to drastically boost public health and indeed, warrants widespread awareness.
William Reville holds the position of an emeritus professor in biochemistry at the University College Cork.