Forget hour-long workouts — new study says this 5-minute routine improves your strength and mental health
Too busy to exercise? A new study suggests you don't need long, sweaty sessions to see real results. The researchers found that just five minutes of daily bodyweight exercises, done at home with no equipment, significantly improved strength and mental wellbeing in sedentary adults over just four weeks.
You don't even need a gym membership. Just clear a bit of floor space and put on something comfortable to move in, like a pair of gym leggings or workout shorts.
If you're after supportive, squat-proof leggings, we've tested and rounded up the best gym leggings to help you get started.
What the 5-minute workout involved
The study, published in the European Journal of Applied Physiology, tracked 22 inactive but otherwise healthy adults aged 32 to 69. After a two-week control period, participants began a four-week program that involved just five minutes of daily movement.
Each day, they performed 10 repetitions of four simple bodyweight exercises: chair squats, wall push-ups, chair reclines, and heel drops. The focus was on slow, controlled movement, especially during the lowering phase of each exercise.
The researchers measured strength, endurance, flexibility, cardiovascular fitness, and mental well-being before and after the program.
What did the results say
Despite the short time commitment, the participants saw impressive improvements. Push-up performance increased by an average of 66 percent, and sit-up endurance improved by 51 percent.
Overall strength, measured using an isometric mid-thigh pull, increased by 13% on average. Flexibility also improved, with a 9% increase in sit-and-reach scores, and heart rate decreased during a 3-minute step test, suggesting better cardiovascular efficiency.
Mental health scores rose significantly too. Participants reported a 16% improvement in well-being and a 20% boost in subjective vitality.
There were no significant changes in body composition, blood pressure, or resting heart rate, which isn't surprising given the short duration and low training load. But the results reinforce that meaningful improvements in strength, endurance, and mental health are possible without major changes in body weight or appearance.
How to try it yourself
You can do the full routine at home in under five minutes. Here's what it involves:
10 chair squats
10 wall push-ups
10 chair reclines (lowering your upper body slowly back against a sturdy chair)
10 heel drops (slowly lowering your heels off a step)
The key is to move slowly and with control, especially during the lowering phase of each exercise. If you're just starting out on a fitness journey or returning to exercise, this is a gentle, approachable way to build strength and consistency.
If this sounds too easy for your current fitness level, why not share it with a friend or family member who might benefit. We've also included some more advanced strength, mobility, and core workouts below if you're looking to level up your routine.
Follow Tom's Guide on Google News to get our up-to-date news, how-tos, and reviews in your feeds. Make sure to click the Follow button.
More from Tom's Guide
No, not crunches — trainer says these 5 bodyweight moves are the secret to building stronger abs
Forget tight hips — try these 5 mobility moves to unlock stiff hips and build stronger glutes
Ditch crunches — try these 5 kettlebell exercises instead to sculpt your abs, strengthen your core and improve balance
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Yahoo
3 minutes ago
- Yahoo
Sandie Peggie ‘wanted to post bacon through mosque letterbox', tribunal told
SANDIE Peggie allegedly told colleagues that she 'wanted to post bacon through the letterbox of a mosque', a tribunal has heard. The nurse was suspended after she complained about having to share a changing room with transgender medic Dr Beth Upton at Victoria Hospital in Kirkcaldy, Fife, on Christmas Eve 2023. She was placed on special leave after Dr Upton made an allegation of bullying and harassment, and cited concerns about 'patient care'. Peggie then lodged a claim against NHS Fife and Dr Upton, citing the Equality Act 2010, including sexual harassment; harassment related to a protected belief; indirect discrimination; and victimisation. READ MORE: On Monday, emergency nurse practitioner Fiona Wishart, who has worked for NHS Fife for 41 years, told the tribunal she heard Peggie making 'derogatory' remarks about Dr Upton at a lunch on September 4, 2023, and making 'offensive' comments about a mosque being built in the town. Wishart said: 'I was at a lunch with fellow colleagues. Sandie had made remarks about Beth at the lunch, derogatory remarks.' She said she had forgotten details but was told the comments were 'weirdo', 'freak' and 'it', although she also said those terms were not used at the lunch, the tribunal heard. Wishart added: 'I've heard her make derogatory remarks regarding people of other ethnic origins and people of other sexual orientations … referring to people as 'immigrants who need to go back to their own country', and 'come over here to steal our jobs'. 'These are opinions that don't align with mine.' Wishart said that at the same lunch, Peggie had commented on a new mosque being built in Fife, and 'made reference to the fact she had a good mind to post bacon through their letterbox', the tribunal heard. Wishart added: 'I specifically remember it because I found it offensive.' Counsel for both respondents, Jane Russell KC, said: 'When she said that, how did others respond?' Wishart said: 'I can't remember, but she made derogatory remarks about Beth, and my colleague that was at the lunch, Lindsey Nicoll, responded, but I can't remember what she said.' Russell asked: 'Did it go beyond 'weirdo', 'freak', and 'it'?' The witness said: 'No, I don't think so.' On Monday, the tribunal also heard that Peggie's legal team were contacted at the weekend by a witness who shared her objections over sharing a changing room with Dr Upton and 'found the courage to come forward'. The team said it had also been contacted by another potential witness. Peggie's barrister, Naomi Cunningham, described the case as 'extraordinary', and 'the first case in which the practical working out of the implications of For Women Scotland judgment will have to be addressed in relation to single-sex spaces'. She said that the way Peggie had been treated by NHS Fife had 'frightened off' other potential witnesses who shared her views, and that the nurse 'has been the only one to find the courage to speak up' until a new witness came forward. The tribunal continues.
Medscape
34 minutes ago
- Medscape
EMA Committee Backs Tryngolza for Rare Lipid Disorder
The European Medicines Agency's (EMA) Committee for Medicinal Products for Human Use (CHMP) has recommended granting marketing authorization in the European Union to Tryngolza (olezarsen; Ionis Ireland Limited) for treating adults with familial chylomicronemia syndrome (FCS). The drug, to be available as an 80-mg solution for injection in prefilled pens, will be used as an adjunct to dietary modifications in adult patients with genetically confirmed FCS. FCS is a rare inherited disorder caused by loss-of-function variants in LPL or related genes, leading to absent or severely reduced lipoprotein lipase activity. This results in extreme hypertriglyceridemia (often > 880 mg/dL or 10 mmol/L) due to accumulation of chylomicrons and very low-density lipoprotein (VLDL). FCS affects about 13 people per million in Europe and causes recurrent acute pancreatitis (in about 85% of patients), severe abdominal pain, and chronic complications. Standard lipid-lowering therapies are typically ineffective, and strict fat-restricted diets are difficult to maintain, making disease management challenging. Tryngolza, a lipid-modifying agent, is an antisense oligonucleotide-GalNAc₃ carbohydrate ligand conjugate that targets apolipoprotein C-III (apoC-III) mRNA in hepatocytes. The GalNAc₃ moiety facilitates selective uptake by liver cells and, once internalized, the antisense oligonucleotide blocks apoC-III protein synthesis. This enhances lipolysis and hepatic clearance of triglyceride-rich lipoproteins, including VLDL and chylomicrons, ultimately lowering plasma triglyceride levels. Significant Benefits in Clinical Trials The CHMP decision relied on positive findings from the phase 3 Balance trial involving 66 patients with genetically confirmed FCS and severe hypertriglyceridemia, including 71% with a history of acute pancreatitis. Participants were randomly assigned to receive Tryngolza 80 mg, 50 mg, or placebo subcutaneous injections every 4 weeks for 49 weeks. Tryngolza 80 mg significantly reduced triglyceride levels by 43.5 percentage points at 6 months compared with placebo, while the 50-mg dose showed a nonsignificant reduction. Both doses markedly decreased apoC-III concentrations, with the 80-mg group achieving a 73.7-percentage point drop and the 50-mg group a 65.5-percentage point decline vs placebo. Acute pancreatitis events decreased significantly, with 11 episodes occurring among placebo recipients compared with just one in each Tryngolza group over 53 weeks, indicating an 88% risk reduction. The most common side effects of Tryngolza include injection-site erythema, headache, arthralgia, and vomiting.
Medscape
2 hours ago
- Medscape
Polymyalgia Rheumatica Not Linked to Increased Mortality
TOPLINE: In a long-term follow-up study, patients with isolated polymyalgia rheumatica (PMR) and biopsy-confirmed giant cell arteritis (GCA) had no increased all-cause mortality compared with matched individuals; men with PMR showed lower mortality. METHODOLOGY: Researchers assessed long-term all-cause mortality in patients with PMR using data from a prospective, population-based inception cohort in Norway between 1987 and 1997 that was followed for 38 years. They included 274 patients with isolated PMR (mean age at diagnosis, 71.9 years; 66.1% women) and 63 patients with GCA (mean age at diagnosis, 71.6 years; 76.2% women), of whom 22 had coexisting PMR and GCA. PMR was defined with the fulfilment of criteria suggested by Bird and colleagues, and the diagnosis of GCA was confirmed with a positive temporal artery biopsy. Each case of PMR and GCA was matched with 15 individuals from the population registry on the basis of sex, age at inclusion, and residency, resulting in a total of 4110 and 945 individuals, respectively. Mortality and survival were assessed using the standard mortality ratio (SMR), with patients being followed up till death or until December 2024. TAKEAWAY: Among all patients with PMR, 96% had died by the end of the study, with a mean follow-up duration of 14 years and a maximum of 35.3 years. All-cause mortality in patients with PMR or GCA did not differ significantly from that in matched individuals. Men with PMR had significantly lower all-cause mortality (SMR, 0.77; 95% CI, 0.62-0.95); no significant sex-related differences were observed in patients with GCA. The overall cumulative survival in patients with PMR or GCA was not significantly different from that in the matched individuals. IN PRACTICE: "Our findings align with previous evidence reinforcing that isolated PMR does not significantly impact survival negatively, offering reassurance to both patients and clinicians regarding its long-term prognosis," the authors wrote. SOURCE: This study was led by Stig Tengesdal, Sørlandet Hospital, Kristiansand, Norway. It was published online on July 21, 2025, in Arthritis Research & Therapy. LIMITATIONS: The Bird's criteria may have relatively poor specificity for PMR. The prevalence of large vessel vasculitis may have been underestimated in the PMR cohort. Cases of malignancy could not be identified and excluded as data from medical charts were limited. DISCLOSURES: This study did not receive any specific funding. The authors declared having no competing interests. This article was created using several editorial tools, including AI, as part of the process. Human editors reviewed this content before publication.
