HEALTH

How to get fit in 20 minutes

The latest research says 20 minutes of exercise a day is enough. Peta Bee asks the experts for their tips

20 minutes of exercise each day leads to a reduction in disease risk
20 minutes of exercise each day leads to a reduction in disease risk
GETTY IMAGES
The Times

If your motivation to exercise is dipping along with the temperature, recent research could provide the impetus for you to keep trying, given its conclusion about when the magic happens in terms of health gains. It found that 20 minutes of exercise — brisk walking, jogging or cycling fast enough to make you breathe harder — each day leads to a reduction in disease risk and boosts your longevity.

The study, by researchers from Sweden and Norway, tracked on hip monitors the activity of nearly 12,000 people aged 50-plus for ten hours a day for at least two years. The findings of a five-year follow-up, published in the British Journal of Sports Medicine, showed that compared with eight hours of daily sitting, people who spent