GET FIT in five minutes!

Short bursts of movement each day have been linked to a longer and happier life

- TANYA PEAREY

No time to exercise? Lack the motivation? You don't need to build hours into your day or muster the energy to run a marathon. Short and sweet is all it takes to get some activity into your day and reap wellbeing rewards.

'Most people mistakenly believe that improving their health requires hours at the gym,' says fitness expert Sol Scheinmann*. 'But the science suggests that just one minute of the right kind of movement daily could significantly extend your life.' Here's how to get started.

The benefits

'What makes these micro-bursts so powerful is how they trigger a cascade of positive physiological changes throughout your entire body,' says Sol. 'When you suddenly push your body to maximum effort, even for just a minute, you activate systems that can dramatically improve your health outcomes.'

People who engage in short bursts of vigorous physical activity throughout their day – dubbed vigorous intermittent lifestyle physical activity or VILPA – showed remarkable health benefits. They were around 48% less likely to die of cardiovascular issues and 39% less likely to die of cancer or any other health issue, if they did three one-minute bouts throughout the day, compared with people who didn't do any VILPA.