Researchers examined the effect of brief bouts of exertion that happen in everyday life on heart health.
The benefits of these bursts of effort, which can also include walking quickly for the bus or going uphill, were more pronounced in women – with about 1.5 to four minutes a day leading to “substantially lower risks” of heart attacks and heart failure.
Researchers suggest they could act as “a promising physical activity target”, particularly for those who are unable or unwilling to exercise.
The study, published in the British Journal of Sports Medicine, used data from 81,052 middle-aged people taking part in the UK Biobank study, who wore an activity tracker for seven days between 2013 and 2015. Some 22,368 people reported doing no regular exercise or going for a walk once a week.
Heart health was tracked until the end of November 2022, with researchers collecting details of hospitals admissions or deaths from heart attack, stroke and heart failure.
Of the group who reported little or no exercise, 13,018 were women and 9,350 were men.
During the follow-up period, 331 women and 488 men had a heart attack or stroke, developed heart failure or died of heart disease.
Women who recorded a daily average of 3.4 minutes of intense activity – but reported no formal exercise – were 45% less likely to have a stroke or heart problems compared with women who did not do any activity.
Meanwhile, Olympics gold medallist Dame Jessica Ennis-Hill and Vitality have launched Walk Out to Work Out to empower women to reclaim time for exercise.