The shortcuts that lead to a longer life

SHORT bursts of activity such as walking to the shops or climbing a flight of stairs are as good as a prolonged bout of exercise, researchers have found.

As long as exercise adds up to an hour a day – no matter in how many sessions – it cuts the risk of an early death by 57 per cent.

NHS advice currently recommends all adults get at least 150 minutes of moderate activity a week in bouts of at least ten minutes at a time to allow the heart rate to build up.

But experts fear many people find the target too daunting and simply admit defeat and return to the sofa. The new study suggests the targets are too restrictive and any exercise – even a few seconds – adds to the total.

Scientists at Duke University School of Medicine in North Carolina tracked nearly 5,000 people and found that bursts of activity of less than ten minutes over the day were as good in reducing the risk of death and disease.

Lead researcher Dr William Kraus, whose work is published in the Journal of the American Heart Association, said even trips up and down stairs count towards accumulated exercise minutes and would cut health risks.