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HOW 2 MINUTES OF EXERCISE CAN HELP YOU LIVE LONGER


SURPRISING — AND SPECIFIC — TAKEAWAYS FROM NEW FITNESS RESEARCH

by Michelle Crouch, AARP, Updated April 13, 2023





Kali Nine LLC / Getty Images

En español | It’s no secret that exercise is key to a healthier and longer
life. As you have likely heard, federal guidelines recommend at least 150
minutes of moderate aerobic activity every week. Think: five days of 30-minute
workouts like brisk walking, dancing or cycling. The guidelines also call for
at least two sessions of strength training per week.

But how much exercise do you really need to get life-extending benefits? Is 150
minutes a week the optimal amount of exercise for a long life, or should you
strive for more? What if you measure your exercise in steps, not minutes? And
how many years do other types of exercise, like strength and balance training,
add?

Recent studies on the links between activity and longevity help shed light on
those and other questions — with some surprising takeaways for older adults in
particular. (For instance, more doesn’t appear to be more when it comes to
strength training, while stretching emerges as a potential lifesaver.) Here’s
what research and experts say about the right dose of exercise to enhance your
life span.


JUST 2 MINUTES OF ACTIVITY CAN HELP YOU LIVE LONGER

If you’re unable to do the recommended 150 minutes a week, you may be tempted
not to bother getting off the couch. But that would be a mistake, because
research shows that even small amounts of exercise give you a longevity boost,
says William E. Kraus, M.D., past president of the American College of Sports
Medicine.

In fact, a 2022 study published in the journal Nature Medicine found that people
ages 40 to 69 who engaged in spurts of movement for just one or two minutes,
three times a day, significantly reduced their risk of death from heart disease
or cancer, compared with those who weren’t physically active at all.

Another study, in the British Journal of Sports Medicine, found that just 11
minutes a day of “moderate-to-vigorous” activity significantly lengthened the
life spans of people who spend most of their day sitting.

“There is no least amount of exercise you need to do,” says Kraus, a professor
in the division of cardiology medicine at Duke University, who helped write the
2018 activity guidelines. “It turns out that anything is better than nothing.”
In other words, not being able to hit 100 or 150 minutes for whatever reason
shouldn’t discourage you from accomplishing smaller amounts.

In fact, he notes, someone who goes from not exercising at all to 20 minutes of
exercise a day is going to net significantly more relative gain — or more bang
for their buck — than someone who increases their exercise from, say, 80 to 100
minutes.

In recent years, epidemiologists have been trying to figure out not just the
minimum but the optimal amount of exercise for a long life. So far, the
research is mixed.

One large study that followed 416,000 people showed the greatest longevity
benefits were associated with about 700 minutes a week of moderate exercise —
that’s more than four times the official recommendation. Another followed
661,000 people and found that 450 to 750 minutes a week (7.5 to 12.5 hours)
was the optimal amount.


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However, a study published in August 2021 in Mayo Clinic Proceedings better
coincided with the federal guideline. It found that people who exercised between
2.6 and 4.5 hours a week (156 to 270 minutes) had the most improvement in life
expectancy. They were about 50 percent less likely to die in a 25-year period
than those who didn’t exercise.

Interestingly, the mortality benefits diminished in those who exercised more
than 10 hours a week, says coauthor James O’Keefe, M.D., director of preventive
cardiology at the St. Luke’s Mid America Heart Institute.

O’Keefe recommends shooting for 30 to 55 minutes of physical activity a day and
prioritizing activities you can do with others. He notes that another analysis
of the same data set showed that activities like tennis, badminton and soccer
were associated with a longer life span than exercising solo.

“For overall well-being and longevity, interactive sports, where there is some
camaraderie, are best,” he says. “You don’t have to go to the gym, put
headphones on and slog through a 45-minute treadmill session. Find whatever is
enjoyable to you.”


YOU MAY GET THE BEST PAYOFF BY HITTING AROUND 7,000 STEPS A DAY

Although 10,000 steps a day has been touted as the gold standard, it appears
that a number closer to 7,000 steps may be enough for a longer life span.

Researchers in a September 2021 study found that middle-aged adults who took at
least 7,000 daily steps over a 10-year time span had a 50 to 70 percent lower
chance of early death compared to those who took fewer steps, says study author
Amanda Paluch, a physical activity epidemiologist at the University of
Massachusetts Amherst.


Paluch says her team decided to look at steps because they account for overall
movement throughout the day rather than time specifically set aside for
“exercise.” Their results reinforce other research on the dangers of being
sedentary.

“The great thing about tracking steps is that it’s easy to fit it into your
daily lifestyle,” Paluch says. “It doesn’t have to be getting out and doing a
long bout of exercise. You can opt to move more around your house, park further
away, do some gardening or light housework or something active with your
grandkids.”

As you get older, you may benefit from even fewer steps. A Harvard-led study
found that women in their 70s who averaged at least 4,400 steps a day lived
significantly longer than those who averaged 2,700 daily steps.


YOU CAN BUILD STRENGTH IN ONE MINUTE A DAY

Incorporating strength training into your weekly routine is also important for a
long life, research shows. One study published in the journal Preventive
Medicine found that older adults who strength-trained at least twice a week
had 46 percent lower odds of early death.

Another meta-analysis reviewed 11 studies and found that compared with no
exercise, resistance training on its own was associated with a 21 percent drop
in the risk of all-cause mortality. When combined with aerobic exercise, it cut
the risk by 40 percent. That analysis also found no benefit to doing more than
two stints of resistance training a week.

For the best results, do exercises that target major muscle groups and do 8 to
12 repetitions of each, the federal guidelines say.

However, even just a minute a day of resistance training can make a difference,
according to a 2021 Penn State study. In the study, older adults who did 30
seconds of squats and 30 seconds of push-ups every day for 12 weeks had
measurable increases in strength.

Strength training doesn’t have to mean lifting weights. Experts say it can also
be working with a resistance band, using your body weight for exercises such
as squats and push-ups, or digging with a shovel while gardening. Newbies can
start with gentle body-weight exercises, like sitting on a couch and extending
each leg up and down five times, suggests Justus Ortega, associate dean of the
school of applied health at Cal Poly Humboldt in Arcata, California. What’s
important, he says, is that you tire each muscle to the point that it’s
difficult to do another repetition.


YES, FLEXIBILITY AND BALANCE REALLY DO MATTER

The federal activity guidelines specifically advise older adults to include
stretching and balance training as part of their weekly physical activity, and
that’s backed up by science showing a strong link to longevity.

For example, a 2021 study published in JAMA Otolaryngology – Head & Neck
Surgery found that poor balance function was linked to a 44 percent increased
risk of death from all causes in adults ages 40 and older.


Balance and flexibility training are the “great ignored third component” of
healthy aging, Kraus says. Maintaining your flexibility and balance as you age
is important to improve your mobility, preserve your independence and — perhaps
most critical — help prevent falls. More than 1 out of 4 older adults fall each
year in the U.S., making falls the leading cause of both fatal and nonfatal
injuries to older Americans, according to the Centers for Disease Control and
Prevention.

“Your lower limbs get really stiff as you age,” Kraus says. “If you step on a
pine cone and you’re flexible and balanced, you’ll recover. If you’re stiff,
you will fall.”

Spending 10 minutes a day doing some flexibility and balance exercises is all
that’s necessary, experts say. You can sign up for a fall prevention class,
take tai chi or check out the easy exercises recommended by the National
Institute on Aging.

Editor's note: This story, published Nov. 30, 2021, has been updated to reflect
new information.

Michelle Crouch is a contributing writer who has covered health and personal
finance for some of the nation's top consumer publications. Her work has
appeared in Reader's Digest, Real Simple, Prevention, The Washington
Post and The New York Times.

MORE ON EXERCISE

 * The #1 exercise to do as you get older
 * 7 best arm workouts to help you get stronger
 * Losing weight may benefit your heart — even if you gain some back

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