Wanna heart that won’t quit? Jumping jacks, now!
This is Sandra Tsing Loh with the Loh Down on Science.
It’s hard to find time for long workouts, especially with busy schedules. But good news, long hours aren’t needed to be heart healthy.
Emmanuel Stamatakis and team from the University of Sydney tried to better understand our hearts. They used data from twenty thousand middle aged adults to relate short bursts of exercise with heart health.
Results? As little as three minutes of vigorous activity a day impacts heart health, especially in women! It decreases the risk of heart attack by about fifty percent. It also reduces the risk of heart failure by over sixty percent!
In short, burpees! Now!
Reference: Stamatakis E, Ahmadi M, Biswas RK, et al. Device-measured vigorous intermittent lifestyle physical activity (VILPA) and major adverse cardiovascular events: evidence of sex differences. British Journal of Sports Medicine Published Online First: 28 October 2024. doi: 10.1136/bjsports-2024-108484