For many people, exercise sounds like long sessions and strict routines. That’s often enough to avoid it altogether. But a new study shows that even short bursts each day can go a long way.
The researchers tracked nearly 96,000 people and followed their health over about seven years.
Each person wore a wrist device that recorded how much they moved, including quick, intense efforts people usually forget about.
The research was part of a large international effort, including Professor Minxue Shen from the Xiangya School of Public Health at Central South University in China.
The team compared how active people were with their chances of developing eight major diseases.
These included heart disease, type 2 diabetes, dementia, kidney disease, and conditions linked to inflammation like arthritis.