Picture this: instead of overhauling your entire routine or signing up for an intense fitness programme, you simply move a little more each day.
According to new research, that modest change might be far more powerful than many people realise.
Scientists now say that adding just a few extra minutes of movement to your day could significantly lower your risk of dying early.
Five Minutes That Make a Real Difference
Researchers analysing data from more than 135,000 adults found that squeezing in just five extra minutes of moderate exercise each day can reduce the overall risk of death by about 10 per cent.
Even for people who are largely inactive, the benefits were still clear.
Those who managed only two minutes of moderate movement daily saw their risk drop by around 6 per cent.
The takeaway is simple: you don’t need long workouts to see meaningful health gains.
Small, realistic changes can still go a long way.
Less Sitting, Longer Living
The study, published in The Lancet, also highlighted the hidden danger of sitting for long stretches.
Cutting down sedentary time by just 30 minutes a day was linked to preventing roughly 7 per cent of deaths worldwide.
Researchers stressed how achievable this is in everyday life, noting that a half-hour reduction in sitting “appears feasible in a real-world setting” and can have a surprisingly large impact on public health.
How the Study Was Carried Out
To reach these conclusions, scientists tracked 135,046 adults with an average age of 63 from Norway, Sweden, the United States, and the United Kingdom.
Participants wore accelerometers that objectively measured how much they moved throughout the day.
At the start of the study, none had chronic illnesses or mobility problems.
Over an eight-year follow-up period, more than 70 per cent of participants were found to spend over eight hours a day being sedentary, giving researchers a clear picture of how inactivity affects long-term health.
Bigger Gains for the Most Sedentary People
The findings were especially striking among those who sat the most.
For participants who spent more than 11 hours a day inactive, standing up and moving for just 30 minutes was associated with about a 10 per cent reduction in death risk.
Increasing that activity to an hour a day slashed the risk by roughly 25 per cent.
These results suggest that the people who move the least may have the most to gain from even modest lifestyle tweaks.
Rethinking One-Size-Fits-All Fitness Advice
The researchers explained that much earlier research assumed everyone could meet the standard recommendation of 150 minutes of exercise per week.
It also often treated the benefits of becoming more active as the same for everyone.
Real life, however, is messier.
Health issues such as obesity, limited mobility, or heart conditions can make traditional exercise targets unrealistic.
This study helps bridge that gap by showing that smaller, more flexible goals still deliver real benefits.
Important Limits to Keep in Mind
Despite the encouraging results, the researchers were careful to point out limitations.
The study focused only on adults aged 40 and above, meaning the findings may not fully apply to younger people.
It was also observational, so differences in death rates could partly be influenced by other factors beyond physical activity alone, such as diet, genetics, or socioeconomic status.
Experts Say the Findings Are a Big Step Forward
Professor Aiden Doherty, a biomedical informatics expert at the University of Oxford who was not involved in the research, praised the study’s approach.
He described it as a major improvement over older data and said it adds valuable detail to the familiar message that physical activity is good for you.
He also pointed out the broader implications, suggesting that up to 10 per cent of premature deaths might be prevented if people simply added five minutes of moderate exercise to their daily routines.
Small Changes Add Up When Combined
Supporting this idea, a separate study from the University of Sydney found similar benefits from tiny lifestyle adjustments.
Researchers discovered that sleeping just 15 minutes longer, adding about 1.6 minutes of exercise, and eating half a serving more vegetables each day could cut the risk of premature death by at least 10 per cent.
Study co-author Dr Nicholas Koemel explained that combining small improvements across multiple habits may be more sustainable and effective than focusing on drastic changes in just one area.
Why Official Guidelines Still Matter
Health experts continue to recommend following World Health Organisation guidelines, which advise at least 150 minutes of moderate activity or 75 minutes of vigorous exercise each week.
Still, they agree that these new findings offer hope, especially for those who struggle to meet those targets.
Dr Brendon Stubbs, who studies the link between physical activity and mental health, described the message as encouraging and realistic.
Simple actions like a brisk walk, climbing a few extra flights of stairs, or actively playing with children or grandchildren can all make a meaningful difference.
Letting Go of the 10,000-Step Myth
The research builds on last year’s findings that challenged the idea everyone needs 10,000 steps a day.
A large review of 57 studies involving 160,000 adults showed that most health benefits level off after about 7,000 steps, offering a more achievable goal for many people.
The Bigger Picture on Inactivity
Sedentary lifestyles remain a major health concern, particularly in countries where desk jobs, long commutes, and evenings spent sitting are the norm.
In the UK alone, inactivity has been linked to tens of thousands of deaths each year, along with enormous healthcare costs.
Globally, the World Health Organisation ranks insufficient physical activity as the fourth leading cause of death, responsible for an estimated 3.2 million deaths annually.
It has long been associated with heart disease, obesity, type 2 diabetes, and certain cancers.
What Comes Next?
The message from experts is clear and reassuring: dramatic transformations aren’t required.
Standing up more often, walking a little longer, and building small bursts of movement into daily life may be one of the simplest and most effective ways to protect long-term health.
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