NewsHealth & MedicineShort bursts of physical activity cut womens risk of heart attackJust a few minutes of vigorous movement per day offers cardiovascular benefits Just a small amount of vigorous activity per day like romping with your dog can lower womens risk of heart attack and other serious cardiovascular problems.Eleganza/Getty ImagesBy Meghan RosenDecember 26, 2024 at 9:36 amA dash of vigorous activity a day could keep the heart troubles away.Women who included short bursts of intense physical activity in their daily routines saw theirrisk of major cardiovascular problems drop 45 percentcompared with women who did none, scientists reported December 3 in theBritish Journal of Sports Medicine.And those short bursts of activity can bereallyshort, says Emmanuel Stamatakis, a physical activity epidemiologist at the University of Sydney just 20 to 30 seconds of intense physical exertion sprinkled multiple times throughout the day. In his teams study, a few minutes total of these bursts was enough to see hefty heart benefits.