For those who enjoy exercise and physical activity, the invitation to ramp up your efforts may be an intriguing challenge. But for those who try to do the minimum, not so much. Yet, there’s an exercise option that may satisfy both groups, if you’re willing to embrace intense exercise, albeit for short periods of time. That option is called High-Intensity Interval Training (HIIT) – and new research demonstrates the value of this approach for better heart health and potentially a longer and healthier life span.

First, the new research: A study out of Britain, and published in Nature Medicine, followed a group of older participants who wore smartwatches so their movements and exercise intensity could be monitored. The results? Gradually building up the intensity of exercise led to reduced mortality risk and improved health. For more on this study and some suggested high-intensity options, get your sweatband ready, and read more here. Other studies have shown that HIIT can impact cellular aging and lengthen telomeres better than resistance training. Plus, with the limited time commitment required and the added bonus of fat-busting properties, HIIT is considered the “most effective anti-aging workout” around.

So what’s involved? And is it practical to consider a new workout regimen, given the limitations we’re all currently living under? Well, as a recent article in The Washington Post makes clear, it’s an approach to exercise that can be accomplished in 30 minutes, with a significant portion of that devoted to warming up and cooling down, and little equipment necessary to get your heart racing and lungs pumping. The essential goal is to push your heart rate in brief intervals (perhaps 30 seconds at a time), with a short rest in between, for a repeated set of intervals. If you’re breathing heavily and sweating plenty, then you’re probably doing it correctly. Of course, you always should check with your physician to make sure your body can build up and accommodate this level of brief exertion, but as Bradley Elliot, a physiology lecturer in England makes clear, it’s about your ability, not your age, so you shouldn’t use your previous lack of exercise or athletic prowess as an excuse not to try. And you can get your heart racing and sweat pouring using any number of machines or equipment (or with no equipment), such as a stationary bike or treadmill. For some simple examples of interval routines, using a bike, a pool, or outdoor walk, click here, and for a video example that has you sitting in your chair, get ready to move those legs and click here.