How long you live for cannot be guaranteed, but there are certainly things you can do to boost your chances of a long, healthy life.
Britons can improve their health and potentially add years to their lives by doing as little as one minute of exercise at a time.
This is according to fitness specialist and founder of Pilates Matters Sol Scheinmann, who said: "Most people mistakenly believe that improving their health requires hours at the gym.
“But the science suggests that just one minute of the right kind of movement daily could significantly extend your life.”
Doing intense exercise for just one minute could boost your longevity
GETTYSixty-second bursts of high-intensity exercise - such as jumping jacks, sprinting on the spot and burpees - have a profound effect on your body.
Sol explained: "What makes these micro-bursts so powerful is how they trigger a cascade of positive physiological changes throughout your entire body.
“When you suddenly push your body to maximum effort, even for just a minute, you activate systems that can dramatically improve your health outcomes.”
Research published in Nature Medicine backed this up as it found 25,000 non-exercisers who added this type of movement throughout their day noticed their health improve.
In fact, those who did three one-minute bouts every day saw a 38 to 40 per cent reduction in all-cause and cancer mortality risk, and a 48 to 49 per cent reduction in cardiovascular disease mortality risk.
The expert added: “Small bursts of wellness are often more sustainable than traditional exercise routines because they eliminate the biggest barriers - time constraints and motivation fatigue.
"When something takes just 60 seconds, it's nearly impossible to make excuses about being too busy. These micro-actions also create less resistance psychologically since they don't require the mental preparation of a full workout.
“The real magic happens through their cumulative impact. Each minute-long burst may seem trivial in isolation, but together they create profound physiological changes.
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Doing this throughout the day can have impressive results
GETTY"Like compound interest for your health, these tiny investments made consistently over time yield remarkable returns in longevity and cellular function. This approach makes fitness achievable for everyone, regardless of their schedule or previous exercise habits.”
One more study published in the European Heart Journal found that accumulating short bouts of vigorous activity, such as two-minute bursts totalling 16 minutes per week, was linked to an 18 per cent reduced risk of death and a 15 per cent reduced risk of cardiovascular disease.
Those who did even more movement, of around 53 minutes of vigorous activity per week, had a 36 per cent lower risk of death from any cause.
