People over the age of 65 could significantly improve their health by doing just one minute of exercise twice a week, a new study has found.

Scottish researchers assessed the benefits of high-intensity training (HIT) in older people. This is a form of strength training which involves short but intense bouts of exercise.

The benefits of HIT are long established, but the effects of this type of exercise on older people have never been tested before.

While exercise is known to reduce the risk of age-related health problems, such as heart disease, type 2 diabetes and poor muscle function, many people do not meet the recommended guidelines of 150 minutes per week of moderate to vigorous activity.

The main reason cited for this is lack of time, however the researchers at Abertay University believe their findings could offer an alternative.

As part of their study, participants - all over the age of 65 - were divided into two groups - one undertaking HIT twice a week and the other acting as a control.

The exercise sessions initially involved six six-second sprints on an exercise bike, which gradually grew to six 10-second sprint. A minimum of 60 seconds recovery time was allowed between each sprint and participants could not start exercising again until their heart rate had gone below 120 beats per minute.

"When it comes to the sprints, you don't have to go at the speed of someone like Usain Bolt. As long as you are putting in your maximal effort - whatever speed that happens to be - it will improve your health," noted Dr John Babraj.

The study found that those who undertook HIT training just twice a week saw a big improvement with their health.

"What we found with this study, which involves doing just one minute of exercise twice weekly, is that it not only improved the participants' physical health and ability to do these things, but also their perceptions of their own ability to engage in physical activity. They enjoyed it, were delighted with the effects it had on their health and, on top of that, felt they could fit it into their lives, which is something they aren't able to do with current exercise recommendations," Dr Babraj said.

He pointed out that many people view ageing in a negative way, focusing on the potential difficulties with daily activities, however with people living longer nowadays, it is essential that new ways to keep people fit and healthy are found.

"If people aren't meeting the targets, we need to find ways to work with them when it comes to exercise, rather than just persisting with something that isn't working. HIT is an achievable alternative that could make a real difference to people's health and their quality of life," Dr Babraj insisted.
Meanwhile, he reminded people that they should consult their doctor before beginning any new exercise programme.

Details of these findings are published in The Journal of the American Geriatrics Society.