We live in an increasingly divided world—and I’m not talking about politics, I’m talking about exercise. There’s a fitness community that’s obsessed with constant optimization and shortcuts: how to go from 50 push-ups to 100, from an eight-minute mile to seven, or from lifting your body weight to double or triple that—ideally using just “one weird trick” or some new method nobody has seen before.
It seems like nobody is happy with basic fitness or steady progress anymore. Or people are overly focused on what’s secretly holding them back, from sleep to “I had a couple of glasses of wine… it ruined three days of my life” (that’s from Steven Bartlett’s podcast).
A lot of the gym and fitness influencer world is about people who are already fit and active trying to get a little bit fitter. That’s not necessarily a bad thing. Having goals and targets can be meaningful. But on the other hand, there are constant stories about finding the minimum amount a person can do to stay fit. In the past few years, studies have argued that you don’t need 10,000 steps a day—7,000 is enough. That you don’t need to exercise every day, and that you can get your movement in over the weekend as a “weekend warrior” to reduce dementia risk.
Many of these findings are useful. With our busy lives, it’s good to know if there’s an easier way to get the health benefits of exercise. But I have to draw the line at recent stories based on a Lancet study that say we can get by with just five minutes of exercise a day. It sounds too good to be true. And in my opinion, it is.
Let’s break down what the researchers actually did. They looked at two sources of information: individual data from seven large studies in the US, Norway, and Sweden with about 40,000 participants, as well as UK Biobank data with 95,000 participants. They modeled how many deaths could be prevented by adding five minutes of moderate activity, and they estimated a 6% to 10% reduction in deaths among participants in the multi-country studies (a similar but smaller effect was seen in the Biobank data).
While the methods were sophisticated, this wasn’t a study that took sedentary people, asked them to do five minutes of exercise every day, and tracked the results. Instead, they used existing data on physical activity to model the relationship between that activity and later death. They used this model to estimate the potential effect that an extra five minutes of activity would have for anyone, no matter their starting point. I’d say the findings reinforce that something is better than nothing, and that the biggest health gains from more movement are seen in the most inactive people. But I wouldn’t base a workout routine on it.
Plus, focusing on time increments ignores the type of movement we need. Our bodies need a mix of three types of movement, especially as we get older: cardio, strength, and flexibility. Each one benefits our health in different ways—and each, I’d argue, is just as important as the others. Cardio (like walking, cycling, or swimming) strengthens our heart and blood vessels. Strength training (like squats, push-ups, or carrying heavy things) helps maintain muscle mass. And flexibility (like stretching) reduces the risk of injury and chronic pain. And yes, doing all three types of exercise over the course of a week takes time.
The World Health Organization recommends—based on strong evidence from systematic reviews, meta-analyses, and long-term studies—that adults get about 20 to 40 minutes of moderate activity a day (150 to 300 minutes a week). This amount is recommended because it has the biggest impact on a wide range of health measures, while still being achievable for most people.
I love the idea of”Only five minutes” – that’s simply not true based on the data we have. I’d ask a different question: in the 24 hours of each day, how can we not find 20 minutes – what I’d consider the bare minimum – to move? If that’s how our society is set up, and how our daily lives and work are organized, then that’s the biggest failure of all.
So, no, you don’t need to compete in the next Hyrox, run a 5K, or even run at all. But five minutes of exercise a day isn’t enough to stay healthy and stay fully fit as you age. The bar has been lowered to make exercise more accessible, but let’s not drop it so low that it becomes pointless.
Professor Devi Sridhar is chair of global public health at the University of Edinburgh.
Frequently Asked Questions
Here is a list of FAQs addressing the skepticism around just five minutes of exercise a day
1 Seriously how can five minutes of exercise actually do anything I barely break a sweat
Answer Its not about a leisurely stroll Five minutes works if you use highintensity interval training You push as hard as you can for 2030 seconds then rest This jolts your metabolism and improves cardiovascular fitness way more than a slow 30minute walk
2 Okay but can I actually lose weight with only five minutes a day
Answer It can help but its not a magic bullet Five minutes of intense work burns calories and boosts your metabolism for hours after However weight loss still depends mostly on your diet Think of the five minutes as a powerful boost not the whole solution
3 What kind of exercises can I even do in five minutes
Answer Think explosive moves Examples Burpees high knees jump squats mountain climbers or sprinting in place The key is to go allout for 20 seconds rest for 10 and repeat the cycle eight times
4 Im a total beginner and out of shape Isnt this dangerous for me
Answer It can be safe if you start smart Dont go allout at first Go at a pace that feels hard but doable For example do slow burpees or stepups instead of jumping Listen to your bodyif you feel dizzy stop Its better to start with 3 minutes than to hurt yourself
5 Will five minutes a day build muscle or just make me tired
Answer It will build muscular endurance and some strength but you wont get bulky Think of it like a toneup rather than a bodybuilding session To build significant muscle you need progressive overload which is hard to do in five minutes
6 What if I miss a day Is the whole thing pointless
