According to a study
This 2 minute workout will extend your life
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The fact that many of us move too little in everyday life is often due to a lack of time. But this study now shows that just a two-minute workout a day could extend our lives.
Shopping after work, taking the kids to music lessons or helping our best friend put the furniture together: most of us have a lot to do on a daily basis. No wonder we often find it difficult to find time (and desire) for a workout – although we know how important exercise is for our health. But not anymore: According to a study by Australian researchers, just two minutes of intense exercise a day is enough to extend our lives!
Mini workout for life
“Our results imply that short, intense workouts spread throughout the week can help us live longer,” writes study author Dr. Matthew N. Ahmadi in a communication for examination. This can help people in particular who generally find very little time for exercise in everyday life.
The study involved nearly 72,000 adults who had neither cardiovascular disease nor cancer. On average, the participants were 62.5 years old, 56 percent were women. Using activity trackers, the researchers recorded how often and for how long the participants exercised excessively each week for 6.9 years. The general result is not surprising: the more frequently and longer the subjects exercised, the more their risk of dying in the next five years decreased. Even just 53 minutes of vigorous physical activity per week reduced the risk of death by 36 percent.
But even a mini-workout has a positive effect, according to the study. Those who did not exercise at all had a 4% chance of dying in the next five years. Anyone who trained for only 12 minutes in a week – around two minutes a day is enough – already halved the risk of death to two percent.
Live longer with HIIT
Admittedly, with only two minutes of effort a day, we can’t think of a good reason to skip the workout. For the best possible effect, we rely on high interval training, HIIT for short. Important: Since your pulse gets very high in a very short time during this mini-workout, you should have a medical check-up before you start and clarify whether your health is really fit.
3 quick HIIT exercises in two minutes
Ready for your mini workout? Here comes the three best exercises for two minutes. But: Remember that this is about as many repetitions as possible in the shortest possible time – effort is simply part of it.
1. Push ups
For the Arm and chest muscles are essential for push-ups. To do this, first lie on the floor and then push yourself up until you are holding the body with outstretched arms and the tips of your feet. Bend your arms, then bring your chest down in a controlled manner before pushing yourself back up. Make sure that your body always forms a straight line. 15 to 20 repetitions are ideal.
2. Jumping jacks
The good old jumping jack is still great for a short, intense workout and strengthens legs, arms and upper body. First, stand hip-width apart and let your arms hang loosely. Then, very slightly, bend your knees, push off hard, and jump. When jumping, spread your legs and bring your arms together over your head. Jump again to get back to the starting position. Do 20 to 30 repetitions of this.
3. Squat
Squats are also part of the HIIT workout because they train abs, legs, buttocks and back at the same time. Stand with your feet hip-width apart, your toes pointing slightly outwards. Engage your butt and stomach, slowly push your butt back and bend your knees to go down – just imagine you are sitting in a chair. Make sure that your back stays straight the whole time, your knees point slightly outwards when going down, and don’t slide past your toes. The arms go forward in parallel. To get back up, push yourself up from your heels in a controlled manner. Do 15 to 20 reps of the squat.
Sources used: studyfinds.org, eurekalert.org