Health
Slow and steady: commit to just 15 minutes of daily exercise
Here’s some good news for exercise avoiders: as little as 15 minutes of exercise a day can improve your health – and you can even do it while you wait for the kettle to boil.
By Sabrina Rogers-Anderson
Do you have a friend who’s a fitness fanatic and always seems to be out for a walk, swim, fitness class or game of pickleball? If exercise has never been your jam, you might watch your mate with a mix of envy and annoyance – and wonder what they sprinkle on their cereal in the morning to have so much energy!
“I hated exercise my whole life,” says Lisa. “But when I turned 58, my doctor told me my blood pressure was through the roof and my weight was creeping up close to obese levels. She said I needed to start exercising and I actually cried in her office because I didn’t want to!
“So, I started doing 5 minutes a day. Some days I would walk around the block, others I would do some lunges and a couple of half-baked push-ups. Then, I increased to 10 minutes a day, and then 15.
“Three years later, I’m one of those people who lives in her workout clothes because I’m always up to something active! I meet my friend Laura for a walk 3 mornings a week, do an aquarobics class at my local pool twice a week, and I use an app for strength training at home. It’s not that I love exercise now, but I do love how it makes me feel and that I've finally taken control of my health.”
Starting somewhere: why commit to 15 minutes a day
A University of South Australia study of more than 11,000 employees found that a gamified workplace wellness program significantly increased their physical activity levels.
Study participants were challenged to move their bodies for 15 minutes a day over the course of 6 weeks. By the end of the challenge, 36% of employees were meeting recommended physical activity guidelines and 59% were exceeding them. Participants also reported improvements in fitness, energy, overall health, sleep quality and mood.
“The interesting thing about this study isn’t that 15 minutes is a magic number, but that people who participated in the challenge were then much more likely to meet recommended physical activity guidelines,” says Tim Douge, accredited exercise physiologist and director of Studio 99 Fitness Centre in Brisbane.
“When people are asked to identify barriers to exercise in their lives, lack of time is often at the top of the list. Starting with 15 minutes of exercise can break down that barrier and make people realise that they do actually have the time if they prioritise it.”
If even 15 minutes a day feels like a big ask, you’ll like this next bit. A growing body of research shows that even very short bouts of exercise spread throughout the day – sometimes called “exercise snacks” – can significantly improve health outcomes.
Here are some key findings:
- As little as 1.2 minutes of vigorous exercise a day can protect your heart: University of Sydney researchers found that short bursts of high-intensity incidental activity throughout the day (such as climbing the stairs or carrying groceries) can significantly reduce the risk of cardiovascular events such as heart attack, stroke and heart failure, especially in women. A total of 3.4 minutes of vigorous exercise a day can slash women’s risk of these conditions by up to 45% and just 1.2 minutes a day can lower it by 30%.
- Less than 5 minutes of high-intensity exercise a day reduces your risk of cancer: A separate study found that 3.5 minutes of vigorous activity a day reduced the total risk of cancer by up to 18% and 4.5 minutes decreased it by up to 21%.
While these results are encouraging, Tim stresses that less isn’t more when it comes to exercise and we should aim to increase our total exercise time slowly until we reach the recommended guidelines. For Australian adults aged 18 to 64, that means:
- 2.5 to 5 hours of moderate-intensity exercise each week – such as a brisk walking, swimming or mowing the lawn, or
- 1.25 to 2.5 hours of vigorous-intensity exercise – such as jogging, a HIIT class or fast cycling
- At least 2 days of strength training per week, which can include body-weight exercises such as push-ups, squats and lunges
How real people add small amounts of exercise to their day
Not sure how to add 15 minutes of exercise that won’t feel tedious to your daily routine? We asked 10 people how they sprinkle bursts of activity throughout their day and here’s what they had to say.
“I bike 15 minutes to and from work every day.”
- Fred
“I live on the third floor, so I walk up and down the stairs for 5 minutes 3 times a day. It does wonders for my legs and butt.”
- Seham
“I get up early enough to give the dog a good walk. I'll randomly start jogging with him when my coffee has kicked in. He loves it and his excitement is great motivation to keep going.”
- Bronwen
“I do squats and lunges while I’m cooking and tidying the kitchen, and I add in a few extra trips up the stairs for fun.”
- Brittney
“I do standing push-ups every time I press ‘go’ on the Nespresso machine. I get 15 push-ups in per cup and I do 3 sets a day. I also walk to the shop most mornings, which is a 15 to 20-minute round trip, to get the thing I forgot in the supermarket run. My hubby does pull-ups on the monkey bars when we go to the dog park.”
- Mel
“I’m a FIFO worker, so I do 500 skips with a jump rope and 100 body-weight squats before work every day.”
- Ham
“I use exercise apps that I put on my phone during COVID – some workouts are just 10 to 12 minutes. I also use YouTube, which has tons of quick exercise videos. I have a treadmill in my lounge room, so I can do an easy half hour while watching the news. And I drop and do push-ups while waiting for the kettle to boil!”
- Mary
“I use the bathroom on the top floor at work to add some extra stairs in.”
- Sarah
“We have a push-up bell at work and every 2 hours we ring it and do 20 push-ups, tricep dips, squats or lunges. I actually feel stronger for it!”
- Phoebe
“I run after my grandkids 3 times a week and that’s more than enough exercise!”
- Joan
Get strong and flexible with this 15-minute Pilates workout
Pilates is a safe and effective way to strengthen your muscles and improve your flexibility and balance.
This 15-minute Pilates workout brought to you by Zing Wellbeing will target and strengthen all your key muscle groups for maximum results in minimal time.
Commit to your daily 15 and start today!
Feature image: iStock/Nattakorn Maneerat
This should help: