Just 5 Minutes of Extra Activity Each Day Could Extend Your Life

Physical activity is widely recognised as beneficial for health and longevity, and fresh evidence suggests that even tiny adjustments to everyday routines may deliver measurable gains.

An international analysis drawing on wearable-device data from more than 130,000 people indicates that adding just 5 minutes a day of extra exercise, or cutting sedentary time by 30 minutes a day, is associated with a meaningful improvement in lifespan.

What the Norwegian School of Sport Sciences study found about moderate-to-vigorous physical activity

The research team, led by the Norwegian School of Sport Sciences, examined outcomes using two distinct approaches:

• High-risk approach: focused on the least active 20% of participants.
• Population-based approach: included everyone except the most active 20%.

In their published paper, the researchers report that small and realistic increases in moderate-to-vigorous physical activity could have substantial implications:

“Small and realistic increases in moderate-to-vigorous physical activity of 5 min/day might prevent up to 6 percent of all deaths in a high-risk approach and 10 percent of all deaths in a population-based approach,” write the researchers.

They add that reducing sitting time also appears beneficial, albeit to a lesser extent:

“Reducing sedentary time by 30 min/day might prevent a smaller, but still meaningful, proportion of deaths in the two risk scenarios.”

How the researchers estimated all-cause mortality risk

Rather than following individuals over time to record changes in behaviour directly, the team used statistical models. Each participant’s estimated risk of death was compared with peers, and then the models projected how shifts in activity levels might alter that risk.

The projected benefits were greatest for those who were typically the least active and spent the largest share of the day sitting. Put simply, when it comes to physical exercise and limiting a sedentary lifestyle, the people currently doing the least may gain the most from relatively modest changes.

Limits of the evidence and what should come next

Because this was an observational analysis, it cannot confirm a direct cause-and-effect relationship. Even so, the scale of the datasets and the strength of the association indicate the topic warrants closer investigation.

The researchers also note key gaps for future studies:

“We only investigated all-cause mortality; thus, future research should examine other health outcomes,” write the researchers.

They further emphasise the need for broader representation:

“Additional research using device-measured physical activity is needed in low-income and middle-income countries where the age structure, physical activity levels, and disease burden differ from those included in the present study.”

What this means in everyday life (especially if you struggle to fit exercise in)

For people who find it difficult to make time for structured workouts-or who feel short on motivation-the findings are reassuring. A few minutes of brisk walking or cycling, or simply spending half an hour doing something that is not sitting, may still make a difference.

This does not replace existing public health guidance: more movement remains better overall. The World Health Organization recommends 150 minutes of moderate-to-vigorous physical activity a week, but the message here is that smaller steps can still contribute.

Practical ways to reduce sedentary time without “doing a workout”

One useful takeaway is that improvements do not have to start with the gym. Examples that naturally reduce sedentary time include taking phone calls standing up, walking during short breaks, getting off public transport one stop earlier, or doing light household tasks between periods of desk work. Over a week, these small choices can add up.

Wearables can also help by prompting regular movement and making activity more visible. Even simple targets-such as adding 5 minutes of moderate-to-vigorous physical activity to a daily routine-can be easier to maintain when progress is tracked.

Why “every movement counts”, according to a UK sedentary behaviour scientist

Daniel Bailey, a sedentary behaviour scientist at Brunel University of London who was not involved in the study, underlined that the biggest health gains are often achieved by helping inactive people become at least a little more active:

“A clear message we want to get across is that every movement counts and getting inactive people to do some activity is where we see the biggest gains in health,” says Bailey.

He also highlights who can help make these small changes more achievable:

“So, GPs, policymakers, or campaigners can certainly be looking to support patients and the public with making these relatively small changes to start with, which would give people a starting point to then kick on and increase their activity even more.”

The research has been published in The Lancet.