Just 3 minutes of activity a day could save your heart - scientists

Forget the myth that you need to spend hours at the gym to be healthy! A new study shows that just 3 minutes of moderate activity a day can seriously reduce your risk of cardiovascular disease - even if you don't exercise at all.

Read more: Emmanuel Stamatakis et al, Dose Response of Incidental Physical Activity Against Cardiovascular Events and Mortality, Circulation (2025). DOI: 10.1161/CIRCULATIONAHA.124.072253

Researchers from the UK and Australia analysed data from more than 24,000 people from the UK Biobank database. All participants were on average 62 years old and were officially considered "not exercising". But! They all had activity trackers on their wrists that recorded every movement.

🧹 Activity without exercise: what does it mean?

We're talking about so-called incidental physical activity - these are everyday and routine activities that we don't consider exercise:

• Cooking

• Grocery shopping

• General cleaning of the house

• Working in the garden or at the cottage

• Mowing the lawn

It's these kinds of discreet movements throughout the day that can work wonders.

📊 What did the results show?

• People who were moderately active for at least 3 minutes every day (i.e. moving with slight exertion) were significantly less likely to have heart attacks and strokes.

• The more such "mini-activities" there were, the higher the heart protection was.

• Women, by the way, were more active than men - they more often made "small" movements during the day.

Important: intensity matters. The more vigorously you move during your household chores - the more heart benefits you get.

🌟 How to implement this into your life?

• Don't order takeout - cook at home.

• Sweep the floors, vacuum, dust.

• Walk to the shop for groceries - instead of delivery.

• Work in the garden - not just for dacha, but also for health.

The main rule: move at least a little, but every day.

🔥 Why it works

The heart is a muscle that loves movement. Even a little exercise helps keep your blood vessels toned, improves circulation and lowers levels of "bad" cholesterol. Which means less chance of a heart attack or stroke in the future.

Conclusion: 3 minutes a day for the heart is no joke. A little effort today can give you a better chance of an active and long life.