{"id":847268,"date":"2026-03-24T14:34:20","date_gmt":"2026-03-24T14:34:20","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/847268\/"},"modified":"2026-03-24T14:34:20","modified_gmt":"2026-03-24T14:34:20","slug":"the-4-5-minute-exercise-that-could-slash-your-risk-of-a-heart-attack","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/847268\/","title":{"rendered":"The 4.5 minute exercise that could slash your risk of a heart attack"},"content":{"rendered":"

Remarkably small daily adjustments to sleep, exercise, and diet could significantly lower the risk of heart attacks<\/a>, a new study has revealed.<\/p>\n

Adding just 11 minutes more sleep each night, incorporating an extra 4.5 minutes of brisk walking, and consuming an additional quarter cup of vegetables daily could reduce a person\u2019s risk of major cardiovascular events<\/a>, including heart attacks and strokes, by approximately 10 per cent.<\/p>\n

Academics behind the study emphasised that such minor behavioural shifts are far more “achievable and sustainable” for most individuals than drastic lifestyle overhauls.<\/p>\n

Published in the European Journal of Preventive Cardiology, the comprehensive study involved experts from Australia, Chile, and Brazil.<\/p>\n

They meticulously analysed data from over 53,000 middle-aged UK adults participating in the Biobank study, tracking sleep habits and exercise levels via wearable technology like smartwatches, alongside self-reported dietary information.<\/p>\n

Over an eight-year follow-up period, researchers observed 2,034 major cardiovascular events.<\/p>\n

\"Adding<\/p>\n

Adding just 11 more minutes of sleep can make a big difference (Alamy\/PA)<\/p>\n

Their findings pinpointed an \u2018optimal\u2019 lifestyle combination \u2013 a balanced diet, eight to nine hours of sleep per night, and a minimum of 42 minutes of moderate-to-vigorous physical activity daily \u2013 which, when combined, led to a substantial 57 per cent lower risk of heart attacks and strokes.<\/p>\n

The NHS website clarifies that moderate activity encompasses brisk walking, dancing, pushing a lawn mower, water aerobics, and cycling, while vigorous activities include running, swimming, skipping, and aerobics.<\/p>\n

Dr Nicholas Koemel, lead author and research fellow at the University of Sydney, highlighted the power of cumulative small changes.<\/p>\n

“We show that combining small changes in a few areas of our lives can have a surprisingly large positive impact on our cardiovascular health,” he said.<\/p>\n

“This is very encouraging news because making a few small, combined changes is likely more achievable and sustainable for most people when compared with attempting major changes in a single behaviour. I would encourage people not to overlook the importance of making a small change or two to your daily routine, no matter how small they may seem.”<\/p>\n

Professor Emmanuel Stamatakis, senior author of the study and professor of physical activity and population health at the University of Sydney and Monash University, revealed future plans.<\/p>\n

\"Four-and-a-half<\/p>\n

Four-and-a-half minutes of brisk walking is also recommended to reduce heart attack risk (Getty Images)<\/p>\n

“We plan to build on these findings to develop new digital tools that support people in making positive lifestyle changes and establish sustained healthy habits,” he stated.<\/p>\n

Emily McGrath, a senior cardiac nurse at the British Heart Foundation, echoed the sentiment.<\/p>\n

“Many of us want to live healthier lives, but making changes can sometimes feel overwhelming or hard to fit into our busy routines,” she commented.<\/p>\n

“What\u2019s encouraging about this study is that it shows those changes don\u2019t need to be big to make a difference. Small tweaks \u2013 like getting a little more sleep, adding a few extra minutes of activity to your day, or eating a bit more veg \u2013 can work together to have a meaningful positive impact on your heart health.”<\/p>\n

She added: “This research highlights that improving these habits in combination, even in modest ways, can be more achievable and still bring real benefits. The key is aiming for a generally healthy day-to-day lifestyle that you can stick with.”<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Remarkably small daily adjustments to sleep, exercise, and diet could significantly lower the risk of heart attacks, a…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":847269,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":"","_share_on_mastodon":"0"},"categories":[4322],"tags":[12349,124527,1630,105,29534,16,15],"class_list":["post-847268","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-fitness","tag-brisk-walking","tag-cardiovascular-events","tag-fitness","tag-health","tag-heart-attacks","tag-uk","tag-united-kingdom"],"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"https:\/\/pubeurope.com\/@uk\/116284652036518254","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/847268","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=847268"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/847268\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/847269"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=847268"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=847268"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=847268"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}