The most time-efficient way to get in good shape

Harry Bullmore, The Independent

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We're often told it's better to teach a man to fish rather than simply give him a fish. But sometimes, you just fancy some fish — and that's exactly what I'm giving you in this newsletter.

I'm sharing the most efficient, effective and straightforward workout plan I've encountered for building a body that works — and one you can use for the rest of your life. All you need to do is tick three boxes each week: complete two full-body strength-training workouts, do something that gets you out of breath a couple of times, and walk at least 7,000 steps a day.

Below, experts explain why this approach works so well — and why transforming your fitness fortunes might not take as much effort as you think.

"It's amazing how little you need to do to make some headway with your fitness," says experienced strength coach Darren Ellis.

"If you're doing two solid strength-training sessions per week, getting your steps in and, ideally, adding one or two slightly harder aerobic sessions on top of that, you're crushing it compared to the average person."

(You can find a sample full-body strength-training session in the workout section below. Or, if lifting weights isn't your thing, try this 25-minute low-impact bodyweight workout from Jennifer Aniston's personal trainer, who I spoke to recently.)

This minimalist plan will keep your heart and lungs healthy, build resilient joints to help fend off injuries, improve your strength and mobility, and reduce your risk of most chronic diseases. In short, it creates a body that's enjoyable to live in. Fitness is, of course, relative. The amount and intensity of exercise you need will depend on your current fitness level and exercise history.

People with little experience of exercise tend to see the biggest benefits from relatively small amounts of it. For them, a "harder aerobic session" that gets them out of breath could mean a brisk walk, a hilly hike, playing with their kids or even "vigorous gardening" — an amusing but surprisingly accurate term from an exercise researcher I once interviewed. Seasoned exercisers, meanwhile, will probably need something more intense to trigger the fitness adaptations they're after. The same sliding scale applies to walking, as Walk: Your Life Depends On It authors Dr Courtney Conley and Dr Milica McDowell explain.

"I like to say your daily step count is like having a menu at a restaurant," says Dr McDowell. "You can pick and choose the amount you walk depending on the benefits you're after and what works for you." She describes 2,500 steps per day as "the absolute basement", adding that anything less means "your risk of death and disease is skyrocketing".

"Courtney and I are both clinicians — I'm a physio, she's a chiropractor," Dr McDowell explains. "We've worked with people who are sick, deconditioned or recovering from devastating injuries, and they might not be walking much as a result. But if someone is walking fewer than 2,500 steps a day, that's the first goal." From there, even small increases can deliver significant health benefits. "If you get up to 3,000 steps per day from 2,500, it reduces your risk of death from any cause by seven per cent. Increase it to 3,500 and that reduction rises to 15 per cent," Dr McDowell says.

Dr Conley recommends "micro walks" as a practical way to build movement into your day. These are quick five-minute, or 500-step, walks you can slot into moments when you might otherwise be scrolling on your phone — at home, at work or while waiting at the school gates. The reason this plan opts for 7,000 daily steps is because a 2023 study from the University of Granada found that "if we focus on the risk of dying from cardiovascular disease, most of the benefits (of walking) are seen at around 7,000 steps per day". A 2025 meta-analysis published in The Lancet also concluded that, compared with walking 2,000 steps per day, 7,000 daily steps was associated with a 22 per cent lower risk of depressive symptoms, a 38 per cent lower risk of dementia, a 47 per cent lower risk of all-cause mortality and a 25 per cent lower risk of heart disease. Not a bad list of perks.

So there you have it: a science-backed exercise plan that's free, time-efficient and achievable. As always with fitness, there's no one-size-fits-all prescription, and you may need to tweak elements of the plan to meet yourself where you are. But if you can walk a bit, challenge your muscles a bit and occasionally give your heart and lungs something to think about, you'll be well on your way to building a fit, functional body for decades to come.