Even small changes in physical activity may boost longevity
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- Reviewed by Robert H. Shmerling, MD, Senior Faculty Editor, Harvard Health Publishing; Editorial Advisory Board Member, Harvard Health Publishing
Can you add five to 10 more minutes of brisk walking or other moderate to vigorous activity to your daily routine? If so, you could be adding extra years to your life. That was the finding of a study published Jan. 24, 2026, in The Lancet.
For the study, researchers combined results from studies in the United States, Sweden, Norway, and the United Kingdom that together included more than 135,000 adults. All of the studies used tracking devices to collect data on physical activity. Participants were followed for an average of eight years. Using statistical analyses, the researchers created hypothetical scenarios to estimate how small changes in daily activity might alter the risk of dying during this period.
Adding five minutes a day of moderate to vigorous activity was estimated to prevent up to 6% of deaths among the least active adults and 10% among everyone except those who were already the most active. Adding 10 minutes a day might reduce deaths by 9% and 15% for these groups. Sitting for 30 minutes less per day might prevent 3% of deaths among the least active adults and 7% among everyone.
Image: © Kate Wieser/Getty Images
About the Author
Lynne Christensen, Staff Writer
About the Reviewer
Robert H. Shmerling, MD, Senior Faculty Editor, Harvard Health Publishing; Editorial Advisory Board Member, Harvard Health Publishing
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