How to Invest 3% of Your Day in Exercise to Live Longer: Expert

According to the World Health Organization, such lifestyle problems are responsible for almost three-quarters of deaths worldwide each year, with 17 million of these occurring before the age of 70.

LeBrasseur says that spending a little time adopting a healthy, active lifestyle while you are young can help prevent or delay these conditions.

Some might be disappointed that there’s no secret to healthy aging, no matter how much money “biohackers” throw at the problem. But LeBrasseur said that “it really should be seen as an incredible opportunity that you have such control over your health and well-being.”

He shared the most sensible way to invest time in your health.

Spend 3% of your day exercising

Investing 3% of your income sounds like a “minimum financial obligation”

“investment,” LeBrasseur said.

Similarly, investing just 3% of your day in exercise is “a minimal investment that has a huge impact on our overall health,” he added.

According to him, during a typical 16-hour workday, about 30 minutes should be devoted to moderate to vigorous intensity exercise.

Moderate exercise should make you feel “borderline out of breath,” he said, or a five or six out of 10 in terms of exertion. Meanwhile, vigorous exercise is more of an eight or nine out of 10 and should leave you actively tired.

Depending on your fitness level, this could be walking, lifting weights, running, cycling or swimming.

The type of exercise matters

LeBrasseur recommended a combination of resistance and aerobic exercise—aerobic for cardiovascular, brain, metabolic, and lung health, and resistance exercise to maintain physical fitness and prevent frailty in old age.

A 2022 study found that combining endurance training and aerobic exercise reduced participants’ risk of all-cause death by 32%.

HIIT, or high-intensity interval training, is a good “two-in-one,” LeBrasseur said, because it includes both resistance and aerobic exercise. With HIIT, “you’re definitely putting a strain on the cardiovascular system, as well as the musculoskeletal and neuromuscular systems, and that has clear benefits,” he said.

He added that functional training, which includes squats, lunges and pulling and pushing exercises, is also beneficial for healthy aging because it can strengthen the muscles needed to stay mobile and fit in old age.

Don’t just be active at the gym

“More regular physical activity and shorter rest periods throughout the day are very beneficial” for health and longevity, LeBrasseur said.

He recommended adding exercise to your day wherever possible — whether that’s parking your car farther away from your destination, getting up to talk to coworkers instead of sending them emails, or going grocery shopping instead of ordering delivery.

Think about when you’re not moving, he said. If you have a sedentary job, he suggested getting up from your desk every hour to walk for 10 minutes or do some push-ups or squats.

Start as soon as possible and choose something you like

“Sooner is always better,” LeBrasseur said. “It’s never too late. Even for people in their 90s, there’s strong evidence that exercise can have clear health benefits in terms of preserving function and preventing flare-ups.”

But the most important thing about physical activity and exercise is consistency, he said. So choose an activity you enjoy and can do regularly to reap the benefits.

LeBrasseur runs, bikes and swims, but he said people shouldn’t try to imitate him or anyone else. “The thing is, I do these things because I really enjoy them and I can be consistent with them. If you asked me to do something else that I’m not interested in at all, I could do it for a week and then I’d give up,” he said.

Combining exercise with socializing can also make regular exercise easier because it will be more enjoyable and your friends will motivate you.