Workouts can be intimidating. And one reason why people struggle with fitness is because they think they need to punch in long hours at the gym – no pun intended. But lucky for us, new research suggests otherwise. In fact, mini workouts spread throughout the entire day are a great way to increase health and longevity. When it comes to exercise, every little bit counts.

In March, the Journal of the American Heart Association published a report based on data collected in the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey. Close to 5,000 individuals completed the survey between 2003 and 2006.

They were 40 years or older, and reported both the frequency and intensity of their workouts in the survey. 

What researchers discovered is that the more you exercise the better off you’ll be, but that doesn’t necessarily mean the workout has to happen all at one time.

Short workouts count

For example, people who only engaged in moderate to vigorous exercise for 20 minutes or less per day, had the highest mortality risk in the six year follow up. 

On the other hand, when people engaged in moderate to vigorous activity for 100 minutes a day or more, they reduced their risk of dying by 76 percent. And while that might seem like a lot of time to exercise, the good news is that you can spread your workouts throughout the entire day. 

So, if you can do 30 minutes in the morning, 30 minutes on your lunch break and another 40 minutes later on, you can reap the many health benefits of exercise without having having to put aside large periods of time.