Fitness
This Viral Workout Is All Over Social Media—But Does It Actually Help You Lose Weight?
It sounds almost too good to be true. Content creator Lauren Giraldo went viral for claiming that simply walking uphill on a treadmill helped her lose 30 pounds—without dieting. In her TikTok video, which now has over 14 million views, Giraldo lays out her formula: Walk on a level 12 incline at a 3-mile per hour speed for 30 minutes.
Giraldo first posted about the routine in a 2019 YouTube video, and it became such a sensation that a year later, 12-3-30 gained its own Instagram account, which now has over 150,000 followers. On TikTok, people say the trend has helped them lose weight, burn fat, and more—and they rave about the changes they’ve seen in their bodies after doing the workout consistently.
If you want a quick, efficient workout you can fit into your day, 12-3-30 can help you squeeze in some cardio in just 30 minutes.
The 12-3-30 workout is trendy, yes, but does it really help with weight loss? Ahead, fitness experts weigh in on the trend and whether or not it’s worth adding to your gym routine.
Meet the experts: April Gatlin, CPT, is a certified personal trainer and coach for STRIDE Fitness. Haley Gott, CPT, is a certified personal trainer and dance coach. Gail McGhie, CPT, is a certified personal trainer and founder of Gail McGhie Fitness. Grayson Wickham, PT, DPT, CSCS, is a physical therapist and the founder of the stretching app Movement Vault. Claudette Sariya, CPT, is a NASM-certified personal trainer, health coach, and the founding instructor at Sole+ Studios.
What is the 12-3-30 workout?
First, set the treadmill to an incline of 12 and set the speed to 3 mph. Then, walk for 30 minutes. That’s it!
If you can hit five 12-3-30 workouts a week, which is what Giraldo suggests, you’ll meet the physical activity guidelines from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, which recommends that adults get at least 150 minutes of moderate-intensity or 60 minutes of moderate-to-vigorous intensity activity a week.
However, five days a week might be a little over the top if you’re a newbie exerciser. Doing the 12-3-30 method for two or three days a week, when combined with other types of training, is plenty, according to both Gott and McGhie.
When you’re not doing 12-3-30, you can work in some other types of exercise to keep up your fitness. Interval training, weight training, or even swimming workouts are great options to help you get active, according to McGhie. Look for exercises in the lateral plane (side-to-side motion), she says, since the treadmill only pushes your body to do one type of forward motion.
Overall, 12-3-30 can be a well-rounded, effective workout since it activates many parts of your body. When you walk on a treadmill with an incline, posterior muscles like your glutes, hamstrings, calves, and back are activated, says April Gatlin, CPT, a certified personal trainer and coach for STRIDE Fitness, a total body HIIT and treadmill workout. It’s a form of resistance training, and you’re building strength in your glutes, hamstrings, back, and core muscles, she adds.
On top of that, the speed adds more difficulty. Perhaps the 3 mph doesn’t sound that fast, but combined with the incline, you’ll definitely feel the burn. All of those muscles above are now working at a deeper capacity, Gatlin says.
Your heart rate will also rise since you’re working harder to move at a quicker pace, she adds. And although the workout may feel super tough at first, if you’re consistent over time, your body will adjust to that quicker speed as your body adapts to its “new normal” working capacity, Gaitlin says.
Potential Benefits Of The 12-3-30 Workout
It could help you get stronger.
For starters, the 12-3-30 treadmill routine is a banger of a lower-body workout, says certified personal trainer Haley Gott, CPT.
“It’s a great way to activate multiple muscle groups in your legs.” Your quads, hamstrings, glutes, and calves are all firing, which means that over time, it can help you build lower-body strength.
It helps your heart.
If your current cardio routine needs a shake-up, the 12-3-30 workout could be a helpful addition to build endurance and boost cardiovascular health, says Gott. Moderate-intensity walking, three to five times per week for three months significantly lowered systolic blood pressure, according to a 2021 study in Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews.
You’ll burn lots of calories.
Those claims that the method burns hundreds of calories are true, Gott says. One 12-3-30 workout sesh can burn anywhere between 300 and 800 cals, to be specific. But the exact number will vary depending on your current weight since it takes more energy expenditure to move more mass, says personal trainer and fitness coach Claudette Sariya, CPT. By comparison, most people tend to burn at least 100 calories per mile when running—but again, this number will vary depending on the person and their fitness.
Let’s say you burn 100 calories from 10 minutes of running. When you do 12-3-30, you’d burn 300 calories, so running would be more efficient for you to achieve the same result, Sariya says.
“That said, if you wanted to crank up the caloric burn on a low-impact walk, I’d encourage you to increase your incline versus increasing your speed,” she says.
It could help reduce your risk of injury.
If you need a break from high-intensity training but still want a workout that packs a major punch, 12-3-30 might be a healthy alternative. The 12-3-30 workout itself is tough, but unlike running, this routine puts less stress on the bones, ligaments, and tendons, says Gatlin.
“With 12-3-30, or any higher intensity incline walking, there is one foot soundly planted on the ground at one time, making the body more stable and the risk of injury lower,” she says.
The workout is beneficial for your bones, too.
Incline walking is a weight-bearing exercise, so with the resistance the body creates, you naturally strengthen your bone density, says Gatlin. Exercise also slows bone loss, according to the Mayo Clinic, so this trendy treadmill routine could be a winner for your health.
It may help with weight loss—if you’re consistent.
It’s important to note that weight loss requires a combination of eating weight loss-friendly foods, being in a calorie deficit, and moving your body regularly, Gott says, and any potential weight loss from doing the 12-3-30 workout will vary from person to person.
If you’re trying the workout specifically to lose weight, the key to walking for weight loss is to stay consistent. “Find ways that you can add in your walks that will help you stay consistent, because the more often you walk, the more weight loss you will have,” Grayson Wickham, PT, DPT, CSCS, founder of Movement Vault, previously told Women’s Health. “Health is a lifestyle, not a quick fix,” he says.
Potential Risks Of The 12-3-30 Workout
Walking on a steep incline can aggravate your lower back since the intense, repetitive movements can lead to your muscles being overworked, Gott says. To that end, stretching and paying attention to your posture is really important, she says. Relax your shoulders and avoid leaning backwards on the treadmill, which can cause your low back to tense up even more. If you’re feeling any pain or discomfort while doing this treadmill exercise, it’s probably a sign to stop before you put unnecessary strain on your body.
FYI: This isn’t a low-impact workout, and it can stress the body more than you think, says McGhie. This also means that 12-3-30 could lead to injuries for anyone with hip, knee, or ankle issues. “If you have those issues, or you experience low back pain, you should start this workout at a lower incline,” McGhie says. You can still challenge your cardio and your legs at a lower incline, she says, like level three or five.
If you have a history of shin pain or shin splints, this training plan may not be for you, says Gatlin. “To combat shin splints, ensure the body is properly warmed prior to starting the workout and wear the proper type of footwear specific to your gait and stride,” she says.
It’s also important to pay attention to your body as you walk. “When we start to get tired, our bodies will naturally start to compensate,” Gott says. Your body might start relying on other muscles to help you power through (like your lower back muscles, Gott says). She says this can cause discomfort or a change in your stride.
“You don’t even notice it, but when you’re tired, your body just does its own thing,” she adds. So, if you’re feeling any aches and pains beyond your usual post-workout tiredness, consider lowering the treadmill’s incline, taking a break, or stretching your muscles out.
How To Try 12-3-30 Safely
This workout is intense, but modifications can help keep it safe and effective at all levels. If you’re new to this training method (or fitness in general), aim for two to three 12-3-30 workouts a week, Gatlin suggests. Start at 3 mph and a lower incline, like three or five percent. Then, gradually add one percent incline each week as your body adjusts to the added resistance. Once you build strength and cardio endurance, you can up your game and try four or five times per week, if you want.
If you have a solid fitness foundation (previous cardio and strength training experience), you can dive into the official 12-3-30 workout as is and do it five times a week as suggested, says Gatlin.
You can also split up your workout into multiple segments to make it safer and more manageable, Giraldo says. And don’t worry about doing it perfectly. If your treadmill only goes up to a 10, you can still do the workout at 10 instead of 12, she says.
At all levels, proper treadmill form is also key for staying safe and maximizing the benefits, Gatlin says. Here are her tips for practicing safe and correct treadmill form:
- Relax shoulders and hands.
- Keep shoulders rolled back.
- Hold head steady with chin parallel to the treadmill.
- Avoid leaning backwards to maintain upright posture.
- Don’t hold the rails.
If at any point you feel like you’re falling behind on the treadmill unless you grab the rails, that’s a sign to lower the incline. Holding the rails reduces the effect of the incline and breaks proper form which can lead to injury, says Gatlin. While it’s okay to slowly build up to the level 12 incline if you struggle at first, your safety should always be top of mind.
As for how you should feel during and after the workout? In general, “You should feel like you are working hard during the 30 minutes,” says Gatlin. Your heart will be pumping, the glutes and hamstrings will be activated, and you’ll be breathing heavier, she says. This may sound exhausting, but it’s a good thing. Your heart will thank you for it.
You may also notice some soreness in the following 24 to 48 hours after your workout, which is normal, says Gatlin. It’s a sign your body is adapting, and after a few weeks of consistency, you’ll notice major strength gains and improve cardio endurance, she adds. Just throw on your “hot girl walk” playlist of choice, and enjoy your 30 minute sweat sesh.
Andi Breitowich is a Chicago-based writer and graduate student at Northwestern Medill. She’s a mass consumer of social media and cares about women’s rights, holistic wellness, and non-stigmatizing reproductive care. As a former collegiate pole vaulter, she has a love for all things fitness and is currently obsessed with Peloton Tread workouts and hot yoga.
Lexi Inks (she/her) is a lifestyle journalist based in Jacksonville, Florida. She has reported on countless topics, including sexual wellness, astrology, relationship issues, non-monogamy, mental health, pop culture, and more. In addition to Women’s Health, her work has been published on Bustle, Cosmopolitan, Well + Good, Byrdie, Popsugar, and others. As a queer and plus-size woman with living with mental illness, Lexi strives for intersectionality and representation in all of her writing. She holds a BFA in Musical Theatre from Jacksonville University, which she has chosen to make everyone’s problem.
Fitness
How busy women can realistically hit 10 hours of exercise a week – and unlock the biggest health benefits
A huge new study published in the British Journal of Sports Medicine – which analysed the activity levels of more than 17,000 participants – suggests that to achieve a substantial (defined as greater than 30%) reduction in heart attack and stroke risk, adults should aim for 560–610 minutes of moderate-to-vigorous physical activity per week. That’s considerably more than the current 150-minute minimum guidelines for health benefits, so it’s perhaps unsurprising that only 12% of people in the study achieved it.
It’s not to say there wasn’t any reduction in risk for lower totals – just not what scientists class as ‘substantial’. And it’s also important to note that the study was observational, meaning it cannot prove any kind of direct link; just association. It could be the case, for instance, that participants were already healthier and fitter than the general population. Plus, neither sedentary time nor less vigorous exercise were measured.
When WH put the findings to personal trainers, they were very keen to stress that something is always better than nothing – and they also had some useful tips for giving it your best shot at getting those golden 10 hours in.
4 tips for adding more movement into your week
Olivia Horncastle is a personal trainer helping busy women and mums fit exercise into their schedules.
Habit stack
‘I get my busiest clients to habit stack movement – so every time they fill up a kettle, they might do some squats, when they brush their teeth, they might do a wall sit,’ says Horncastle. ‘Other small things like trying to take calls while walking, or stretching in front of the TV at night work well. It doesn’t need to always be adding a full workout – all small additions help.’
5-minute workouts matter
‘Even starting with a 5-minute bodyweight circuit and building that up over time starts a habit – something is always better than nothing.’
Set yourself daily or weekly challenges
That might be trying to do 50 squats throughout the day, increasing your steps by parking further away at the shops, or taking the stairs instead of the lift, says Horncastle.
Tie exercise into your social plans
‘Instead of drinks with friends, I might suggest we go for a walk and grab a drink at the end, or try a new Pilates class instead of brunch etc.’
What type of exercise should you prioritise?
Michael Baah is a strength coach and oncology exercise specialist working with busy professionals, athletes and people recovering from cancer. ‘All that protection for your heart works best if you maintain your muscle mass, too,’ he cautions. ‘If you walk a lot but never do any strength work, you actually lose muscle faster, and after age 30, women naturally lose about 1% of their muscle every year unless they use it.’
Baah recommends doing three 45-minute strength sessions a week, using simple, compound moves (think: squats and deadlifts) that work your whole body. ‘You should finish each exercise feeling like you could maybe do just one or two more reps – this is the safe and effective method we use in clinics.’
‘The rest of your target comes from walking,’ adds Baah. ‘Just 40-50 minutes of brisk walking every day gets you there easily. Add a swim, yoga or dance class once a week if you like, and you’re all set.’
But don’t forget to adequately fuel, notes Baah. ‘Once you’re moving regularly, food matters, too. You need enough protein every day to help your body get stronger – aim for 1.4-1.8g for every kg of bodyweight. Without this, you do the work but miss out on the best results.’
If you’re more deterred than motivated by the recent study results, Horncastle wants to leave you with a few words. ‘Start small and slow, whether that’s one workout a week and building up, or starting with a few small walks – that’s how you achieve long-term, consistent change.’
‘And don’t compare yourself – who cares if Susan does hot yoga five times a week? She isn’t living your life. You need to find what works for and benefits you, but is realistic, too.’
One of our most frequently asked questions here at Women’s Health? How to build muscle and burn fat at the same time. So, we asked superstar trainer Oyinda Okunowo exactly how to do it. In this 4-week plan – created exclusively for Women’s Health COLLECTIVE members – you’ll get the workouts and nutrition guidance needed to help you on your way to better body composition. Tap the link below to unlock 14 days of free access to Oyinda’s plan and start training today.
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Hannah Bradfield is a Senior Health and Fitness Writer for Women’s Health UK. An NCTJ-accredited journalist, Hannah graduated from Loughborough University with a BA in English and Sport Science and an MA in Media and Cultural Analysis. She has been covering sports, health and fitness for the last five years and has created content for outlets including BBC Sport, BBC Sounds, Runner’s World and Stylist. She especially enjoys interviewing those working within the community to improve access to sport, exercise and wellness. Hannah is a 2024 John Schofield Trust Fellow and was also named a 2022 Rising Star in Journalism by The Printing Charity. A keen runner, Hannah was firmly a sprinter growing up (also dabbling in long jump) but has since transitioned to longer-distance running. While 10K is her favoured race distance, she loves running or volunteering at parkrun every Saturday, followed, of course, by pastries. She’s always looking for fun new runs and races to do and brunch spots to try.
In the last few years, the fitness tracker market has grown exponentially. Now, you can find something for every taste, whether you prefer a discreet ring or a large screen, as well as for every personality, from the health metric-obsessed to the person who simply wants better sleep.
And in 2026, I tried many of the most popular devices on the market, from Apple, Oura, Garmin and more. Some days, I had a forearm-high stack of watches as I compared how they tracked my data for runs, strength training sessions, sleep and more. And I had some clear favorites.
Below, I’m sharing the top trackers that I tried last year, from screen-free options to the best pick for runners.
Best smart watches
Best affordable tracker:
If you’re looking for a fitness tracker that can give you all of the basics (and then some) at a relatively affordable price, the Fitbit Inspire 3 is one of the best devices out there, in my opinion. While it doesn’t have some of the bells and whistles that other gadgets offer, it really does quite a bit. Over the course of about a month of wear, I found the sleep, activity and general health data to be pretty accurate.
I also like that the device feels less bulky than many of the other trackers with screens that I have tried. The screen is 5 millimeters, which is just enough to show you the relevant stats during workouts, read notifications and texts and more without feeling like an eyesore on your wrist. However, that comes with the caveat that those with larger fingers may struggle with the small touchscreen.
To access all of your data, you’ll have to go to the app. It takes some playing around to figure out where to find everything, but once I did, it was easy to stay up to date on all my metrics. While you can access most of the basic data with just the app and watch, you’ll also get a six-month Fitbit Premium membership when you purchase, where you can see even more metrics and access additional workout videos as well.
Best for runners:
While I’ve tried a couple of Garmin’s devices and loved them all, for casual runners, the Garmin Forerunner 55 is a great entry point. That’s not to say you can’t use it for other activities. It allows you to log different activities and monitor sleep data, but I’ve found it to be the most helpful for running.
If you’re someone who regularly runs races, whether it be 10Ks or full marathons, you can find your race on the Garmin app and start a countdown and the app will even create a custom training plan for you with workouts that you can send to your device. I love the ability to create custom workouts with different pace and distance goals throughout your run (which is particularly great for anyone working on speed). If you’re running below or above your desired pace, the watch will send you an alert to keep you on track.
It has an impressive battery life of up to two weeks on a single charge, too, so I’ve been able to go on trips and leave the charger behind. In fact, on a 14-day trip, I got home and still had a day’s worth of charge left.
This is also the only device I tried without a touchscreen, which I really liked. That meant that I wasn’t fumbling with the buttons with sweaty hands on hot days or cold, gloved ones in the winter. The buttons are large enough that I could press them to pause or restart my workout, even when the watch was hidden by a jacket sleeve.
Best affordable Apple Watch:
The Apple Watch SE is the brand’s most affordable model, and I recommend it for the person who wants to stay connected, track workouts, monitor health and more, but doesn’t mind charging every day. (Though a big benefit of this new model is that it charges much faster than previous versions.)
New features include temperature sensing for more accurate vitals measurements, a daily sleep score to give you a better idea of how well-rested you are for the day, an always-on display and the ability to start workouts on your phone and track them on the watch.
Plus, if you have an iPhone, an Apple Watch is by far the best option out of all the available trackers for staying connected. You can easily respond to texts, check your email, use your Apple Wallet, answer calls and more. It makes functioning without a phone easy if I need to accomplish something without my phone nearby.
Best for iPhone users:
Lowest price ever
Apple released its Apple Watch 11 earlier this year, and for anyone questioning if they should make the upgrade, the new watch has one major perk: Extended battery life. According to the brand, you can get up to 24 hours of normal use from one charge, and I find that to be pretty accurate. But when you put it on low power mode (which I often do), you can get more than a day of use.
When looking at the other models, I would say the biggest draw of this one is that you get a much better battery life for just a little more money than the SE (considering that it’s on sale right now). Plus, like the other new models Apple released this year, the Series 11 includes the sleep score feature and can be used to spot signs of possible hypertension or high blood pressure.
I’ve also had issues with my Apple Watch screens scratching in the past, so I appreciate that the brand says this one is twice as scratch-resistant as the previous model.
Best for endurance athletes:
If it weren’t for the high price, I would recommend the Apple Watch Ultra to everyone. But for those who are active and willing to invest, I consider it to be the all-around best option among Apple’s watches.
The Ultra is designed specifically with athletes and adventurers in mind. It has the longest battery life of any of the Apple Watches, with up to 42 hours of battery life (and up to 72 hours on low power mode), so it will last through long races and backpacking trips — or even just a couple of days of going through your normal routine. It’s also designed to be much more durable than other models, as it has a titanium case and a display made from sapphire crystal (which Apple says is one of the strongest naturally occurring metals on Earth). It’s also said to have a better-than-average GPS, so your data won’t be as affected when running in urban areas where there are a lot of tall buildings.
Another thing that I really love about the Ultra is the additional Action button, which is customizable, so you can use it to control your workout, start a new interval or mark a segment. You can pause and end your workout using the buttons as well, so you don’t have to fumble with the touchscreen (which, if you have sweaty hands, you know is a big win).
If you spend a lot of time off the grid — say, trail running or climbing in remote areas — you can use the satellite feature to stay connected and send texts or your location, even if you don’t have WiFi or cell service. It can also be used to get help in case of an emergency.
Best screen-free trackers
Best for the data-obsessed:
If you’re a true wellness obsessive who loves data and seeing how behavior changes affect sleep, workouts and more, this is a great device to consider.
For each activity you do, you get an estimated strain score that tells you how taxing the activity was on your body (the score can range from zero to 21). These all factor into your strain score for the day, which includes everything from workouts to general daily movement, as well as stress and anxiety. After a night’s rest, you’ll also get a recovery score — a percentage between one and 100 — which factors in your activities and stress from the day before, your sleep performance, HRV, heart rate and respiratory rate. Each day, you also get the option to journal, so you can track behaviors, like stretching or taking supplements, and over time, you can track how the habits affect your recovery.
The Whoop provides you with a lot of interesting data, but it also has features to help you understand it better. It uses AI to create a daily outlook, which will give you activity recommendations based on your sleep and activity data. There’s also a Healthspan feature, which takes your data (after 21 consistent nights of wear) and gives you your Whoop Age (a measure of your physiological age, which can be different from your actual age) and Pace of Aging (which is impacted by your daily lifestyle choices and can range from -1x to 3).
The battery life is also pretty hard to beat. The brand shares that you can get up to 14 days, and I’ve found that estimate to be pretty accurate. In fact, I’ve even occasionally gotten more than two weeks of use out of it from one charge. To charge the Whoop, you charge its battery pack separately and then can slide it onto the device while you’re still wearing it to add juice, so you don’t even have to miss a minute of data.
As someone who is super interested in using data to optimize health, I love the Whoop. However, as a runner who spends a lot of time focused on proper pacing during workouts, for those activities, I also typically wear a device with a screen, like my Garmin or Apple Watch, to make sure I’m meeting my goals.
When you purchase using one of the above links, you’ll get a year-long membership. After that, you can choose from one of Whoop’s three membership options: One ($149 per year), Peak ($239 per year) or Life ($359 per year).
The most discreet fitness tracker:
Editor’s pick
The Oura Ring has become one of the most trendy trackers of the last few years, thanks to its discreet — and I would even say, stylish — design. The ring features sensors along the inner band, which measure things like blood oxygen levels, temperature, respiration, heart rate variability and more.
In my opinion, one of the best things about the Oura ring (outside of its look) is how simply it breaks down the data. Each morning, it takes your data from the night and day before, and gives you three scores: Sleep, Activity and Readiness, all of which fall between zero and 100. Each one provides you with a broader view of how well rested you are for the day and how ready you are to challenge yourself.
If you’re in it for the workout tracking aspect, this is not the best option. Aside from the fact that it doesn’t have a screen (so you can’t actively see your stats while you’re in a workout), it doesn’t always sense lower-intensity workouts, like yoga or Pilates, so you often have to go into the app and add them after. Plus, in addition to the cost of the ring, accessing your data and all the features on the app costs $6 per month.
How we chose
Last year, I tried over a dozen fitness trackers, wearing them each for at least a week straight (most of the time much longer) for workouts, sleep and everyday activities. Throughout the year, I trained for multiple races, including a marathon and two half marathons, so I used many of the trackers for workouts related to my training. When choosing the best trackers, I kept in mind a range of factors, including price, battery life, connectivity and general features.
Why trust Shop TODAY?
The Shop TODAY editors and writers search the internet to find the best products out there. We interview expert sources and use our own personal experiences with the product and brand to make shopping easier for our readers.
Emma Stessman is a writer for Shop TODAY. She has over a decade of experience in digital media — with nearly half of that time being focused on the health and wellness space. She has owned multiple fitness trackers from top brands over the years. At Shop TODAY she covers a range of topics, from new tech releases to expert-approved beauty trends. She is an avid runner and fitness enthusiast with a personal passion for health.
Fitness
The 150-minute Exercise Rule Helps Your Heart. But If You’re Serious About It, Better Aim for 600 Minutes
Public health advice says you should get at least 150 minutes of brisk walking, cycling, running or other moderate-to-vigorous exercise each week.
However, a new study suggests that the target is just the bare minimum.
The widely cited 150-minute goal is not wrong. The new study found it offers a reliable first layer of protection against heart disease. But for people seeking a much larger reduction in cardiovascular risk, the amount of exercise associated with that benefit was far higher: roughly 560 to 610 minutes a week, or about 80 to 90 minutes a day.
A Minimum, Not a Magic Number
The study analyzed more than 17,000 adults in the UK Biobank who wore wrist activity monitors and completed a fitness test. Over nearly eight years of follow-up, researchers tracked heart attacks, strokes, heart failure and atrial fibrillation.
They found that meeting the current guideline was linked to a modest 8 to 9 percent reduction in cardiovascular risk across fitness levels. A reduction greater than 30 percent was associated with about three to four times as much weekly exercise.
The findings do not mean that 150 minutes a week is useless — quite the opposite. The study suggests it works as a simple public health floor, one that benefits people regardless of whether they start out fit or deconditioned.
But the results also challenge the way many people understand the guideline. The number is often treated as a target to reach and stop at.
The researchers studied moderate-to-vigorous physical activity, a category that includes exercise intense enough to raise the heart rate, such as brisk walking, running and cycling. They also measured cardiorespiratory fitness using estimated VO₂ max, a measure of how efficiently the heart, lungs and muscles deliver and use oxygen during exertion.
This is a pretty important distinction. Fitness and physical activity are of course related, but they are not the same thing. Two people may report similar exercise habits and still differ in cardiovascular fitness because of genetics, age, health history, training response or earlier-life conditioning.
“Future guidelines may need to differentiate between the minimal moderate to vigorous exercise volume required for a basic safety margin and the substantially higher volumes necessary for optimal cardiovascular risk reduction,” they conclude.
Less Fit People Faced a Steeper Climb
Participants wore an accelerometer for seven consecutive days between 2013 and 2015. They also completed a submaximal cycling test used to estimate VO₂ max. The researchers then linked these data to hospital and death records through October 2022.
During a median follow-up of 7.85 years, 1,233 cardiovascular events occurred. These included 874 cases of atrial fibrillation, 156 heart attacks, 111 cases of heart failure and 92 strokes.
The pattern was not simply “more exercise is better” in a straight line. Instead, the researchers found a non-linear relationship between activity, fitness and risk. Higher fitness appeared to provide its own protective margin. At the same time, increasing weekly activity lowered risk across the fitness spectrum.
For a 20 percent reduction in cardiovascular risk, people with the lowest fitness needed about 370 minutes of moderate-to-vigorous activity per week. People with the highest fitness needed about 340 minutes. For a 30 percent reduction, the estimates rose to about 610 minutes per week for the least fit and 560 minutes for the most fit.
You might not like to hear this, but if you’re already unfit, you need to invest much more time and effort than someone who is fitter to reach the same cardiovascular protection. If that sounds like common sense, it is. But the new study is helpful because the figures it offers help frame things more clearly and offer a measurable goal.
Set Achievable Goals
The study was observational, so it cannot prove that exercising 600 minutes a week caused the lower risk. People who exercise more may differ in other ways, such as diet, income, sleep, access to care, smoking history or underlying health.
Also, not everyone can afford to exercise for 10 hours a week. In fact, most don’t. For older adults, people with heart disease, or those who have been inactive for years, that could be unrealistic or unsafe without medical guidance.
For broad public health, 150 minutes a week remains a useful and achievable goal. But if you can safely do more, the heart may keep benefiting well beyond that threshold.
The findings appeared in the British Journal of Sports Medicine.
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