Happy New Year! This is the time of year when many people make resolutions, with getting fit being amongst the most common. Of course, research shows that most people quit their new year’s resolutions by around March. So this year, I’d like to suggest you take a different approach: rather than giving yourself overly ambitious goals in the gym, instead learn to bake some very modest but high-yield habits into your life.
While this may not sound as sexy as committing to some kind of “beach body” program, the fact is that with exercise, a little goes a long way. A very long way. To this end, I’d like to highlight two threads of research for you.
First, the power of simply getting more steps per day. You’ve probably heard of people aiming to get 10,000 steps daily, but the fact is that this “ten thousand” number is arbitrary and not based on science. So while it’s good to aim for 10,000 steps per day, research in fact has shown that even getting 7,000 steps per day can substantially cut your risk of dying from any cause over the next few years. And – even better news – this study from 2023 shows that people who get 8,000 steps just twice per week substantially cut their risk of dying:
The second finding I want to highlight is something called “VILPA,” which stands for “Vigorous Intermittent Lifestyle Physical Activity.” What is VILPA and why should you care? It’s simply the act of engaging in brief bursts of intense physical activity in the course of normal life. For example, imagine that you are at an airport going to catch a flight. You can take the escalator to get up a level, or you can carry your suitcase up the stairs at a brisk pace, thus getting maybe 30 seconds or so of somewhat vigorous activity. The second choice is an example of “VILPA.” Research has suggested that engaging in just 3-5 minutes per day of “VILPA” can lower your risk of all cause mortality by about 25%.
You can watch a clip of Dr. Martin Gibala, a leading researcher on exercise and fitness, being interviewed about VIPLA and its benefits below:
I’m not suggesting that you ONLY engage in getting a daily total of 8,000 steps twice per week, or ONLY try to work 3-5 minutes of slightly intense activity into your normal life as you go about your day. It would be even better for you to get 10,000 steps every single day, to lift weights a few times per week, to run a 5k, to take a yoga class, to play tennis regularly, or go to Crossfit.
Rather, what I am suggesting is that even modest bouts of physical activity that are baked into your daily life and that don’t require you to carve out a separate time in your day for “exercise” can be hugely beneficial to your health. If you are sedentary and out of shape, why not start 2025 by just committing to these simple habits? They take almost no additional time and could be something you actually stick to forever. And then once you’ve mastered this “baseline” of getting more steps and doing a few minutes of VILPA while shopping at the store or commuting to work, you can then build on top of that with a few sessions per week of more structured exercise to help you reach your goals.
