How to optimise your 22 minutes exercise a day according to fitness experts

Hurrah – the latest research says you don’t have to do a full-hour body workout to feel health benefits. But, if that sounds too good to be true, Ellie Muir talks to the experts about what short exercises they would choose to make every minute count

A new study has found that doing just 22 minutes of exercise per day can offset the negative health effects of sitting down at a desk all day (Getty)

There are a lot of things you can do in 22 minutes. You could watch an episode of Frasier or The Simpsons. That time might be better spent listening to “Running Up That Hill” by Kate Bush four times through. You could clean your bathroom, perhaps? Or you could just take a power nap.

Your precious time could be put to better use exercising, though, since a new study published by the British Journal of Sports Medicine has found that doing just 22 minutes of exercise per day can offset the negative health effects of sitting down at a desk all day. And if you have an office job: you may want to look away now, because studies have linked being inactive with type 2 diabetes, and certain types of cancer. Some experts say that people who sit for long periods have a 147 per cent higher risk of suffering a heart attack or stroke. It is also thought to slow the metabolism, which affects the body’s ability to regulate blood sugar, blood pressure and break down body fat.

Humans are built to stand upright, our heart, muscles and cardiovascular system all work more effectively that way and this latest study backs up the UK chief medical officers’ recommendation that people should aim for a minimum of 150 minutes of low-intensity exercise per week.