One-minute bursts of exercise cut the risk of an early death

A new study has found that people who engage in three or four short bursts of exercise per day are far less likely to die from ailments such as heart disease and cancer.

The experts claim that the health gains were similar to those seen in other studies where people had deliberately put aside 75-150 minutes per week to be physically active.

Professor Emmanuel Stamatakis of the University of Sydney, who led the research, said: "Our study shows similar benefits to high-intensity interval training (HIIT) can be achieved through increasing the intensity of incidental activities done as part of daily living.

"A few very short bouts totalling three or four minutes a day could go a long way, and there are many daily activities that can be tweaked to raise your heart rate for a minute or so."

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