This article that came out in the European Heart Journal in 2022 studied more than 70,000 people between the ages of 55 and 68.

Each participant wore a device that measured their activity level. Here’s the conclusion: People who exercised a mere 15-20 minutes per week had a 15% to 40% reduction in mortality over a period of 6-7 years.

The health benefits continued to add up for those who exercised more, up to a level of about 60 minutes a week. But even those on the low end of the exercise scale (as little as 10 minutes a week) saw a dramatic reduction in health risk.

Even more surprising to me, was that to get those benefits, you could exercise intermittently throughout the week in bursts of as little as 2 minutes at a time. You don’t have to take time out of your busy schedule to go to the gym, or take an online exercise class, or play pickleball. Instead, you can climb a few flights of stairs, skip rope for a few minutes, or jog in place at your desk for a count of 200, or many other things.

Fit it into your lifestyle. Keep it simple. Just do it consistently in short bursts here and there.

Dr. Lavine has been an innovator in the use of movement and touch to promote health since 1981. He practices in New York City and Princeton, NJ.