You already know it’s hard to stay healthy during the winter holidays. Making exercise a priority can be tough, whether your schedule feels too packed or you’ve loosened it for year-end merriment that’s rendered you lazy.
No question, it helps your health to move your body. Countless studies show that physically active people live longer and healthier lives than those who are sedentary.
But it turns out you don’t need a whole lot of time when it comes to fitness that can keep disease and physical distress away. And — more good news — this holds true whether you’re already in good physical shape and don’t want to backtrack, or if you struggle with exercise because of challenges like osteoarthritis or being overweight.
Recent studies show that as little as two minutes of exercise a day can have visible and trackable positive effects. It can lower your odds of developing a disability that keeps you from doing crucial daily activities like walking, bathing and dressing. It can reduce your risk of death, cancer and heart disease. And even extremely short blasts of exercise can build muscle and reduce fat.
In sum: It doesn’t take too much time and effort to tip the fitness scale in your favor.
Here’s a look at what three studies found. See which scenarios make sense for you, and then have a little fun applying researchers’ discoveries to your life. It’ll cost you an hour a week, tops.
Goal: live day-to-day life comfortably and safely
Personal circumstances
You have joint pain or osteoarthritis, mostly in your hips, knees, ankles or feet. The stiffness and aches makes you think exercise will be uncomfortable.
Activity level
Moderately vigorous
Effort on the clock
9 minutes per day
Study basics
Men and women who were 49 years of age or older participated in the study. They had joint pain or stiffness in their hips, legs, ankles or feet but no disability.
Study results
An hour’s exercise each week improved mobility for everyday activities, such as safely crossing the street, by 85 percent. It also reduced by almost 45 percent the chance of developing a disability that could hinder daily tasks such as bathing and getting dressed.
After four years, 24 percent of participants who didn’t do a weekly hour of brisk movement walked too slowly to cross a street safely, and 23 percent had problems following their morning routine.
Takeaway
Nine minutes per day of brisk movement (one hour per week) keeps disability at bay.
Try it
Walk briskly, like you’re trying to get to an appointment on time.
Goal: improve longevity and stay disease-free
Personal circumstances
You’re already active, and so, can handle a few consecutive minutes of intense physical movement. You probably like to exercise.
Activity level
Very vigorous
Effort on the clock
2 minutes per day
Study basics
Men and women who were 40 to 69 years old (median age of nearly 63 years) without any evidence of cardiovascular disease or cancer participated in the study.
Study results
Fifteen to 20 minutes of weekly vigorous physical activity were associated with a 16 to 40 percent lower mortality rate. Specifically: a 16 to 18 percent reduction as far as cancer mortality and a 40 percent reduction as far as dying from cardiovascular disease. The stats get even better with more time spent moving intensely.
Takeaway
Two-minute bursts per day of vigorous movement (15 minutes per week) reduces risk of death, cancer and heart disease. It’s worth noting that a long-term study published two years earlier than this one showed similarly promising results.
Try it
Sprint, swim rapidly, walk up stairs, cycle hard, do jumping jacks, jump rope. Get your heart rate up enough to have to catch your breath before you can have a conversation.
Goal: gain muscle and burn fat
Personal circumstances
You’re overweight or obese. The prospect of exercise seems overwhelming to you.
Activity level
Moderate to vigorous
Effort on the clock
40-second bursts of effort over 18 minutes, three times a week
Study basics
Men and women who were about 70 years old and obese (particularly with belly fat) participated in the study, which included a group who followed personalized, progressive vigorous interval training, three times a week over 10 weeks. They had 18-minute sessions — 40 seconds of work followed by 20 seconds of rest, and so on. Participants eventually worked up to 36-minute sessions, following the same pattern.
Study results
Participants in the exercise group each dropped almost two pounds of fat and gained about one pound of muscle mass compared with the control group.
Takeaway
Progressive vigorous interval training significantly improves lean body mass and decreases fat in older adults, particularly belly fat in older, obese men.
Try it
March in place (work in those arms if you can!), do modified push-ups (knees down, resting against the ground — or start by just holding yourself up if that’s enough to spike your heart rate). And use the 40/20 ratio when putting in effort because, hey, that’s what they did in the study — plus it’s the holidays!
Mitra Malek has been a yoga instructor since 2006. A recovering hard-news reporter, she now writes and edits content related to wellness.
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