What's the Least Amount of Healthful Exercise I Can Do?

Scott LaFee
Tue, 21 Apr 2026 21:00:00 -0700
Lifestyle

Admit it, the thought has occurred to you, probably while exercising.

For those less inclined or with little time, the answer may be encouraging, says Stella Volpe, head of Virginia Tech's human nutrition, foods and exercise department.

Traditional exercise guidelines are designed for long-term health and sustained activity, but there is evidence that doing "just enough" can still improve health. In other words, performing the least amount of movement needed to produce benefits.
Updated: Wed Apr 22, 2026

Admit it, the thought has occurred to you, probably while exercising.

For those less inclined or with little time, the answer may be encouraging, says Stella Volpe, head of Virginia Tech's human nutrition, foods and exercise department.

Traditional exercise guidelines are designed for long-term health and sustained activity, but there is evidence that doing "just enough" can still improve health. In other words, performing the least amount of movement needed to produce benefits.

Basically, the idea is to engage in short bursts of activity, euphemistically called "exercise snacks," such as short brisk walks, climbing stairs, doing pushups, jumping jacks or anything else that at least briefly engages large muscle groups and elevates heart rate.

Volpe said there is a cumulative benefit of lots of exercise snacks, and over time, people find they can exercise longer and better, which of course was what they were trying to avoid in the first place.

Body of Knowledge

The average human sheds about 600,000 particles of skin per hour, or 1.5 pounds (roughly the weight of an iPad) a year; that's roughly 105 pounds of skin by the time they are 70 years old. This translates to an entirely new outer layer of skin cells every 27 days, almost 1,000 new skins in an average lifetime.

Doc Talk

Agonal: A word used to describe a major negative change in a patient's condition, usually preceding immediate death, such as a complete cessation of breathing or a dire change in the patient's vital signs

Phobia of the Week

Oikophobia: Fear of home surroundings and household appliances (especially the smart ones — they're always listening)

Life in Big Macs

One hour of reading a book burns 88 calories (based on a 150-pound person) or the equivalent of 0.1 Big Macs. One hour of sitting and writing burns 68 calories, also the equivalent of 0.1 Big Macs. It really feels like I'm working harder here than you are.

Best Medicine

Don't think of organ donation as giving up part of yourself to keep a total stranger alive. It's really a total stranger devoting almost all of themselves to keep part of you alive.

Observation

"Millions who long for immortality don't know what to do on a rainy Sunday afternoon." — Anglo-American writer Susan Ertz (1894-1985)

Medical History

This week in 1862, the first test of pasteurization was completed by Louis Pasteur and Claude Bernard.

Jars containing dog's blood and urine, which had been sealed for several weeks and kept heated at a constant 86 F, were opened. Neither liquid showed observable decay or fermentation.

This suggested the possibility of heating foods sufficiently to kill germs without significantly altering their chemical composition. Pasteurization was initially used by brewers. By heating the finished beer to above 160 F to kill harmful bacteria, a germ-free beer that did not require constant refrigeration for lengthy shipment or storage could be produced.

At the time, Pasteur was primarily interested in stemming wine and beer spoilage, but in time, pasteurization would be used for milk and other products.

Perishable Publications

Many, if not most, published research papers have titles that defy comprehension. They use specialized jargon, complex words and opaque phrases like "nonlinear dynamics." Sometimes they don't, yet they're still hard to figure out. Here's the title of an actual published research study: "A lucky catch: Fishhook injury of the tongue."

Published in the Journal of Emergencies, Trauma and Shock in 2010, this is a case report regarding a 13-month-old boy who, while playing with an unused fish hook, accidentally stuck it through his tongue. Given that fish-hooked tongues are comparatively rare, the authors deemed it worthy of a medical history footnote.

In this case, there was minimal swelling, and the hook was uneventfully removed under general anesthesia, eliminating any chance of the boy putting up a fight. Given the risk of swelling and hematoma formation, the authors wisely concluded that early intervention is warranted. Otherwise, the boy might become addicted to phonics.

Med School

Can you identify the disease or condition from its older name?

1. Bloody Flux

2. Scrivener's Palsy

3. Winde

4. Milk Leg

5. Quinsy

Answers: 1. Dysentery, 2. Writer's cramp, 3. Chronic obstructive pulmonary disorder, 4. Phlegmasia alba dolens (a form of venous thrombosis that creates painful, white inflammation in the legs), 5. Peritonsillar abscess (a bacterial infection, usually a complication of untreated strep throat).

Epitaphs

"Before you jump in here with me,

make sure you bring good memories.

For here they're all we have to trade,

and where you are is where they're made." — Gravestone of Harold J. Story (1919-1993)