VILPA: A Simple Way for Older Men to Be Healthier

We all know exercise is good for us.

But what if you're not a gym rat or a runner? Or too unstable on a bike? And, maybe mountain hiking is a thing of the past.

Even if you don't physically do much, you may still desire to maintain some degree of physical health and fitness.

Well, here's a possible solution for you: VILPA! 

VILPA is short for "Vigorous Intermittent Lifestyle Physical Activity". It refers to short, intense bursts of movement lasting roughly 1–2 minutes that occur naturally during your daily life rather than planned exercise.

Examples of VILPA

This guy is doing "Vigorous Intermittent Lifestyle Physical Activity"

It can be anything you do during the time you are awake.

Errands or Being Outside:

• Walk very fast or "sprint" to catch a bus or getting to an appointment on time.
• Power walk for a short distance (100–200 meters) while walking in the neighborhood or into a store.
• Park at the far end of the lot and speed-walk to the entrance of your destination.
• Walk uphill during a routine stroll.

At Home:

• Do housework like vacuuming, mopping, or scrubbing with extra intensity and speed.
• Play high-energy games with kids or pets, such as tag or chase.
• Dance energetically to one or two favorite songs.

Manual Tasks:

• Carry heavy grocery bags or a laundry basket for 50–100 meters.
• Give a child a piggyback ride.
• Vigorous gardening, such as rapid digging or moving heavy pots.

Navigation in Buildings:

• Rapidly ascend stairs instead of using an elevator or escalator.
• Jog up the last few flights of stairs in an office or home.

Key Characteristics of VILPA

• Intensity: It should be strenuous enough to make you "huff and puff" or make it difficult to hold a conversation.
• Duration: Bouts are typically brief, often lasting only 1 to 2 minutes.
• Spontaneous: Unlike HIIT (High-Intensity Interval Training), VILPA is usually unplanned and woven into the "contours of everyday life".

Is VILPA Good for Seniors?

• It is especially suitable for physically inactive middle‑aged and older adults who find structured vigorous exercise difficult or unappealing.
• A pilot trial in adults transitioning to retirement found a 12‑week VILPA program feasible, acceptable, and associated with increased total activity, better self‑reported health and functional fitness.
• Focus groups of inactive middle‑aged and older adults highlight convenience, time‑efficiency, and “purposeful movement” as key enablers, but note concerns about safety, aging, and effort as barriers.

Health Benefits of VILPA for Older Men

Preliminary medical research suggests this type of physical activity is highly beneficial for those of us who on in years, especially if you've become a bit of a couch potato. Below are some of the research findings.

Mortality and Cardiovascular Health

• In non‑exercising adults (mean age ~62), about 3 brief VILPA bouts/day (1–2 minutes each; ~4.4 minutes/day total) were linked to ~26–40% lower all‑cause and cancer mortality and ~32–49% lower cardiovascular mortality compared with no VILPA.
• In US adults who did no structured exercise, about 5 short bouts/day were associated with ~44% lower all‑cause mortality.
• Brief lifestyle vigorous activity and other incidental vigorous activity show L‑shaped or near‑linear dose–response: small amounts give large risk reductions, with smaller extra gains at higher doses.
• In older men (71–92 years), more total moderate‑to‑vigorous activity, even in sporadic minutes, was linked to lower mortality. How activity was accumulated mattered less than total volume.

Cancer

• Around 3–5 minutes/day of VILPA was associated with 17–28% lower total cancer incidence and ~28–31% lower physical‑activity–related cancer (e.g., breast, colon) in inactive adults..

Summary

For older men who do little or no formal exercise, very small amounts of vigorous intermittent lifestyle activity -- just a few 1–2‑minute hard bursts embedded in daily life -- are consistently associated with substantially lower risks of death, cardiovascular disease, and cancer.

Benefits appear to rise quickly with the first few minutes per day, with no evidence that activity must be done in long gym‑style sessions.

There is no established "optimal dose" at this time. However, there's no harm in doing as much as you like. The more, the better?

Chances are, you can find 5 minutes or more per day to move around more vigorously.  When you consider the health benefits, it's certainly worth a try, wouldn't you say?

References

1. Stamatakis E, Ahmadi MN, Gill J, et al. Association of wearable device-measured vigorous intermittent lifestyle physical activity with mortality. Nature Medicine. 2022;28:2521 - 2529. doi:10.1038/s41591-022-02100-x
2. Ahmadi MN, Hamer M, Gill JMR, et al. Brief bouts of device-measured intermittent lifestyle physical activity and its association with major adverse cardiovascular events and mortality in people who do not exercise: a prospective cohort study.. The Lancet. Public health. 2023;8 10:e800-e810. doi:10.1016/s2468-2667(23)00183-4
3. Stamatakis E, Biswas R, Koemel N, et al. Dose Response of Incidental Physical Activity Against Cardiovascular Events and Mortality. Circulation. 2025;151:1063 - 1075. doi:10.1161/circulationaha.124.072253
4. Ahmadi MN, Koemel N, Biswas R, et al. Micropatterns physical activity in relation to all-cause and cardiovascular disease mortality: the stealth lifestyle factor?. . 2024. doi:10.1101/2024.08.06.24311529
5. Koemel N, Ahmadi MN, R, et al. Vigorous intermittent lifestyle physical activity (VILPA) and mortality risk among US adults: a wearables-based national cohort study. . 2025. doi:10.1101/2025.08.05.25333017
6. Ahmadi MN, Clare P, Katzmarzyk P, Del Pozo Cruz B, Lee I, Stamatakis E. Vigorous physical activity, incident heart disease, and cancer: how little is enough?. European Heart Journal. 2022;43:4801 - 4814. doi:10.1093/eurheartj/ehac572
7. Stamatakis E, Ahmadi MN, Friedenreich C, et al. Vigorous Intermittent Lifestyle Physical Activity and Cancer Incidence Among Nonexercising Adults. JAMA Oncology. 2023;9:1255 - 1259. doi:10.1001/jamaoncol.2023.1830
8. Jefferis B, Parsons T, Sartini C, et al. Objectively measured physical activity, sedentary behaviour and all-cause mortality in older men: does volume of activity matter more than pattern of accumulation?. British Journal of Sports Medicine. 2018;53:1013 - 1020. doi:10.1136/bjsports-2017-098733
9. Stamatakis E, Ahmadi MN, Biswas R, et al. Device-measured vigorous intermittent lifestyle physical activity (VILPA) and major adverse cardiovascular events: evidence of sex differences. British Journal of Sports Medicine. 2024;59:316 - 324. doi:10.1136/bjsports-2024-108484
10. Jones MD, Clifford BK, Stamatakis E, Gibbs M. Exercise Snacks and Other Forms of Intermittent Physical Activity for Improving Health in Adults and Older Adults: A Scoping Review of Epidemiological, Experimental and Qualitative Studies. Sports Medicine. 2024;54:813 - 835. doi:10.1007/s40279-023-01983-1
11. Stamatakis E, Huang B, Maher C, et al. Untapping the Health Enhancing Potential of Vigorous Intermittent Lifestyle Physical Activity (VILPA): Rationale, Scoping Review, and a 4-Pillar Research Framework. Sports Medicine (Auckland, N.z.). 2020;51:1 - 10. doi:10.1007/s40279-020-01368-8
12. Pang B, Moullin JC, Thompson C, et al. Testing a vigorous intermittent lifestyle physical activity intervention in adults transitioning to retirement: a pilot randomised controlled trial. Age and Ageing. 2025;54. doi:10.1093/ageing/afaf244
13. Thøgersen‐Ntoumani C, Kritz M, Grunseit A, et al. Barriers and enablers of vigorous intermittent lifestyle physical activity (VILPA) in physically inactive adults: a focus group study. The International Journal of Behavioral Nutrition and Physical Activity. 2023;20. doi:10.1186/s12966-023-01480-8

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