Doing this 3-minute exercise formula every hour you’re sitting down gives you a better chance of a longer life.
Three minutes is not long enough to boil an egg, or to make it through a full song on Spotify, but new research suggests it’s more than enough time to save your life.
A global team of scientists, led by Glasgow Caledonian University, found that performing three minutes of moderate exercise for each hour of the day you spend sitting down could cut your chance of an early death by 30 per cent.
Although guidelines suggest we do 30 minutes of exercise per day, the researchers found that did not correlate with a reduced mortality risk for anyone who spends extended periods sitting down.
However, when those people did three minutes of exercise for every hour spent sitting, their odds of an early death were slashed.
The four-year study, published in the British Journal of Sports Medicine, is the largest of its kind in the world, featuring data from more than 130,000 people.
3-minute exercise formula
“We wanted to find out what the perfect cocktail of physical activity throughout a day was for maximum health, in terms of the time spent sitting, exercising, just moving around, and sleeping – and how these all work together,” explained Professor Sebastien Chastin.
“Our new formula found that three minutes of moderate to vigorous exercise per hour of sitting will get the balance right and help you live a longer, healthier life.”
Given that most of us spend between 50-70 per cent of our time sitting down, this is important news.
It suggests a regular sprinkle of high-paced walks, bodyweight workouts and mini circuits during the day could be more important for your health than one longer workout.
3-MINUTE WORKOUT
During the working day, try the following life-lengthening circuit every hour, on the hour
1a. Jumping Jacks x 50 secs
(Rest x 10 secs)
1b. Press-Ups x 50 secs
(Rest x 10 secs)
1c. Bodyweight Squats x 50 secs
(Rest x 10 secs)
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