How Exercise Snacks Relate to Mortality
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Vigorous intermittent lifestyle physical activity, or VILPA, turns ordinary moments into brief exercise opportunities. In this clip from Dr. Rhonda Patrick's appearance on The Mel Robbins Podcast, she explains how fast stair climbing, brisk uphill walking, bodyweight squats, or active play can raise the heart rate and make a person breathless without requiring a trip to the gym. These short efforts can make vigorous movement more accessible to people who have limited time or feel overwhelmed by a conventional workout.
In a study of more than 25,000 UK Biobank adults who reported no structured exercise, about three short VILPA bouts per day were associated with 38 to 40 percent lower all-cause and cancer mortality and 48 to 49 percent lower cardiovascular mortality compared with no VILPA. Most bouts lasted one or two minutes, and the median total was 4.4 minutes per day. A separate six-week randomized trial found that three brief stair-climbing sessions performed three days per week improved peak oxygen uptake in sedentary young adults. [1] [2]
Dr. Patrick proposes building toward several short bouts across the day, using vigorous intensity that is appropriate for the individual. Beginners might start with one minute of uphill walking or stair climbing and add time or speed as their fitness improves. Exercise snacks can complement longer aerobic sessions and resistance training while providing an approachable way to interrupt inactivity and practice the physical and mental effort that drives adaptation.
This clip is excerpted, with permission, from Dr. Rhonda Patrick's appearance on The Mel Robbins Podcast. Thank you to The Mel Robbins Podcast for allowing us to share it.
- ^ Ahmadi, Matthew N; Doherty, Aiden; Gibala, Martin J.; Gill, Jason M. R.; Hamer, Mark; Stamatakis, Emmanuel, et al. (2022). Association Of Wearable Device-Measured Vigorous Intermittent Lifestyle Physical Activity With Mortality Public Health Nutrition 28, 12.
- ^ Jenkins EM; Nairn LN; Skelly LE; Little JP; Gibala MJ (2019). Do stair climbing exercise "snacks" improve cardiorespiratory fitness? Appl Physiol Nutr Metab 44, 6.
Mel Robbins: When you are thinking, “I have a little time and want the maximum positive impact on my health,” this breathless exercise is a complete shift.
Dr. Rhonda Patrick: It is a game changer for people who do not have much time, want health benefits, and feel overwhelmed by getting a gym membership, driving to the gym, and working out for an hour. It seems like too much, so they say, “I cannot do it,” and miss out. There are benefits to doing that, of course.
In the studies I am discussing, people wear accelerometers. Other related studies measure people doing what are called exercise snacks. I mean one, two, or perhaps three breathless minutes. An exercise snack can be structured. You can get up and do one minute of bodyweight squats, jumping jacks, high knees, burpees, or another activity that raises your heart rate until you can say only a few words.
You can also take advantage of everyday life. If you work on the fourth floor, take the stairs and walk up them fast. If you work a few blocks from home, walk briskly, jog, or bike instead of driving. Play tag with a child or grandchild. Run around with a new puppy. These moments count. They add up, and research supports that.
This is called vigorous intermittent lifestyle physical activity, or VILPA. People use everyday activities to get one, two, or three vigorous minutes. Studies have compared this activity with structured exercise. The approaches are different: one uses daily life, while the other sets aside time for a workout.
What do we see? People can do three vigorous minutes, three times a day. It could be walking uphill or playing tag. That is nine minutes per day, which is where I get the 10-minute recommendation.
In the observational study, those individuals had associations with about 40 percent lower cancer mortality, 40 percent lower all-cause mortality, and 50 percent lower cardiovascular mortality. These were people who did not identify as exercisers. If asked whether they exercised, they would say no because they did not count playing tag or quickly climbing stairs. But those moments count. The body responds to the activity whether it happens at a gym or during everyday life.
That can feel like a relief. Some people do not like the gym, and some do not have time. But they might be able to do three minutes after breakfast, three minutes after lunch, and three minutes after dinner.
I also have a free guide about exercise snacks and other training methods that can support brain health, mood, and healthy aging. It is available at HowToTrainGuide.com.
Mel Robbins: We will link to that with the other resources from this conversation. I like the term “exercise snack.” It sounds approachable.
I want listeners to understand the simple instruction: three minutes, three times per day, of vigorous activity that makes you breathless.
My husband sometimes drops and does push-ups in the morning or in the kitchen during the day. I did not think it counted. In my old view, exercise counted only when I wore workout clothes and did something I did not like for at least 30 minutes.
You are saying that three minutes, three times a day—squats, jogging up stairs, walking uphill, or playing tag—counts as activity and is associated with important health outcomes.
Dr. Rhonda Patrick: Yes, absolutely.
Mel Robbins: How long do I have to do this? You will probably say for the rest of my life, but when will I feel better?
Dr. Rhonda Patrick: You can feel better after one minute because exercise increases blood flow, including to the brain. I like using exercise snacks to break up my workday.
Mel Robbins: Let us do it.
We are walking out of the studio into the office. Dr. Patrick, what are we doing?
Dr. Rhonda Patrick: We can choose a structured exercise snack. Considering our clothing, let us do bodyweight squats.
Mel Robbins: Something easy. Let us do it.
Dr. Rhonda Patrick: The goal is to get breathless. I will set a timer for one minute.
Mel Robbins: You are wearing jeans, a top, and boots with heels. I am wearing dress pants, a dress shirt, and heels.
Dr. Rhonda Patrick: Your heels are higher than mine. You should be okay if you have good balance.
Mel Robbins: We will test that.
Dr. Rhonda Patrick: Ready? Let us begin. I am going a little faster because I do these often.
One minute is longer than you think. This is why people listening should try an appropriate version. When I say that one minute can be meaningful, it can sound like nothing. But you notice the effort when you do it.
We have 20 seconds left. Do you feel the burn? We are becoming breathless. That is the goal. Ten seconds. Keep going. Five, four, three, two, one. Nice job.
Mel Robbins: That was one minute?
Dr. Rhonda Patrick: How do you feel?
Mel Robbins: Out of breath. I feel a flood of energy. I feel clearer, my heart is racing, and I cannot believe that was one minute.
Dr. Rhonda Patrick: It was one minute. As you practice, it becomes easier. Then you can do two or three minutes at a time, three times per day.
Mel Robbins: I could pick a three-minute song that I like and do air squats for the length of the song. Does that count?
Dr. Rhonda Patrick: Three times per day.
Mel Robbins: What is another option?
Dr. Rhonda Patrick: Walking uphill is a good place to start. Bodyweight squats require flexibility, and jumping jacks involve impact. Walking uphill can work well for someone who has not previously exercised at a breathless intensity.
Mel Robbins: Would a staircase count?
Dr. Rhonda Patrick: Absolutely. Start slowly and work up. You might do one minute per day for a week, then two minutes per day. You can gradually move faster. As your body adapts, the activity becomes easier.
That adaptation is the point. You want your body to handle stress better. Stress can be psychological or physical. Exercise gives the heart, lungs, muscles, and brain a controlled challenge to adapt to.
It also requires mental effort. When something feels hard, you have to get past the barrier that says you do not want to do it. That can build mental toughness.
Mel Robbins: That is huge.
Dr. Rhonda Patrick: Yes. Then life becomes easier.
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