Exercise Snacks: 3 × 1 Minute of Brisk Movement a Day, with a Timer

3 times a dayThe study median: 3 times a day, brisk movement lasting a minute or two each

38–40%Lower risk of death from all causes and from cancer at this level, compared with doing none

48–49%Lower risk of death from cardiovascular disease at the same level

5 min every 30Breaking up sitting with walking reduced the rise in blood sugar

Let’s do it together

Choose a snack

Each one lasts a minute. The goal: three snacks spread through the day. Get your breathing up, but not so much that you cannot talk.

Today: 0 / 3

1:00

Ready

Sound cues

Remind me to take a movement break every 30 minutes

Works while the page stays open; alerts you with sound and vibration.

Your daily counter is stored only on this device.

Snack menu

Six snacks: how to do them

Use the chances that come up during the day: the stairs, the bus stop, waiting for the kettle to boil. If you have heart disease, uncontrolled blood pressure or a joint problem, check with your doctor first and start with the gentler options.

Climbing stairs

Rush up the stairs

Take the stairs instead of the lift, at a pace that gets your breathing up. Stay close to the handrail and hold it if needed. Come down slowly.

1–2 minutes or 3 floors

Brisk walking

Walk as if you are catching a bus

Speed up one minute of your next walk: walk as if you are trying to catch a bus, at a pace where talking is hard, then return to your normal pace.

1–2 minutes

Sit-to-stand from a chair

One minute of sit-to-stand

Stand up from a sturdy chair with your arms crossed over your chest and sit back down with control. Repeat for one minute at a pace that feels comfortable.

1 minute

Wall press-up

Stand an arm’s length from a wall and place your hands on it at chest height. Keep your back straight; bend your elbows to bring your chest towards the wall, then push away.

1 minute

Seated marching

Brisk seated marching

A good option if you have joint pain or balance problems. Sit upright on a sturdy chair, lift your knees quickly one after the other and swing your arms too.

1 minute

Heel raises holding the counter

Heel raises

Stand upright holding the worktop. Rise up onto your toes and lower down. Ideal while the kettle is boiling.

1 minute

What does the research say?

25,241 people, an average of 6.9 years: short bursts of brisk movement during the day were inversely linked with risk of death in an almost straight-line way. Even the median of 4.4 minutes a day was linked with a 26–30% lower risk of death from all causes.
In inactive young adults, quickly climbing 60 stairs 3 times a day, 3 days a week for 6 weeks improved fitness; the increase was small.
In 11 middle-aged and older adults, breaking up 8 hours of sitting with 5 minutes of walking every 30 minutes reduced the rise in blood sugar; all types of break lowered systolic blood pressure.

Doing it safely

If you are just starting, build up the pace gradually.
Stay close to the handrail on the stairs; come down slowly.
If you have joint pain, choose the seated or wall-supported options.

Stop straight away: If you get chest pain, dizziness, palpitations or unusual breathlessness, stop moving; if it does not settle, call 112.

Frequently asked questions

Can such short bursts of movement really help?

The findings on risk of death are observational; that is, people who did short bursts of activity had a lower risk, but it has not been proven that this is entirely due to the movement. On the other hand, small experimental studies have also shown that stair snacks improve fitness and that breaking up sitting with short walks has a positive effect on blood pressure and blood sugar.

How hard should I work?

The movements in the study were “vigorous”: a level where your breathing speeds up and talking becomes hard. If you are just starting or have joint pain or heart disease, you can start more gently and build up over time.

Does it replace regular exercise?

No, but it is a good start or a useful addition. The people in the study did not exercise in their free time; in those who did exercise, vigorous activity showed a similar link. Short bursts of movement keep you from being inactive on days when you cannot find time to exercise.

I work at a desk. What can I do?

In a small study, 5 minutes of light walking every 30 minutes reduced the rise in blood sugar; even shorter and less frequent breaks lowered systolic blood pressure. You can switch on the reminder above and also look at the desk work guide.

For more, you can look at the movement and desk work guides.

Sources

Stamatakis E, Ahmadi MN, Gill JMR, et al. Association of wearable device-measured vigorous intermittent lifestyle physical activity with mortality. Nature Medicine. 2022.
Jenkins EM, Nairn LN, Skelly LE, Little JP, Gibala MJ. Do stair climbing exercise “snacks” improve cardiorespiratory fitness?. Appl Physiol Nutr Metab. 2019;44(6):681–684.
Duran AT, Friel CP, Serafini MA, et al. Breaking up prolonged sitting to improve cardiometabolic risk: dose–response analysis of a randomized crossover trial. Med Sci Sports Exerc. 2023;55(5):847–855.