https://www.washingtonpost.com/health/2026/02/03/exercise-longevity-stairs-blue-zones/
Doctors and physiologists point to studies that show tiny, regular bursts of effort — like climbing a few stairs — can capture many of the benefits of the gym.
Movement tracking studies show even tiny, regular bursts of effort — as short as 30 seconds — can capture many of the health benefits of the gym. Climbing two to three flights of stairs a few times per day could change your life. Experts call it VILPA, or vigorous intermittent lifestyle physical activity.
“The message now is that all activity counts,” said Martin Gibala, a professor and chair of the kinesiology department at McMaster University in Canada. And perhaps nothing’s better than stairs.
You left out this part of the article explaining that longer exercise periods is better still: "Subsequent studies put a finer point on it: Just nine to 10 brief bouts of vigorous activity per day — averaging 30 to 45 seconds each — lowered the risk of dying by about 40 percent in non-exercisers, according to a 2022 study in Britain. Benefits increased as people exercised longer, but most of the risk reduction occurred during the first few minutes of daily activity."
ReplyDeleteAlso, this is the sort of thing scientists are likely to change their minds about.
Avraham's last sentence is the most important point.
ReplyDeleteHowever, there's also practicality. Interval training is still practised, the one where you exercise like nuts for 1 minute, then stroll for 2-3 minutes, then repeat. It works quite well but here's the thing: when the apocalypse starts, running for 1 minute and then strolling for 2-3 will get you killed.