The 5-minute “do” that fights fatigue

Brief stints of exercise can stave off the tiredness and brain fog that set in while sitting, say researchers at the University of Colorado School of Medicine in Aurora. In their study, people who got up for 5-minute “microbouts” of walking each hour reported feeling 31 percent less fatigued in the afternoon than those who sat for 6 hours without taking exercise breaks. Plus, the walkers were more cheerful and alert throughout the day. The authors theorize that spurts of activity offset physiological stress and its energy-draining effects.