Finding Your Minimum

The "optimal" routine is useless if you will not do it. Exercise follows a steep dose-response curve: the biggest health gains come from moving from zero activity to some activity, and the returns shrink as you add more.

Going from sedentary to even a modest amount of brisk walking each week meaningfully lowers your risk of early death. Adding more keeps helping, but the extra payoff per minute drops off well before you reach high weekly volumes.

The practical takeaway: you do not need to live in a gym. A short, consistent routine that mixes some cardio with two brief strength sessions captures most of the benefit available through exercise.