Scientists from Newcastle University have said two-minute bursts of exercise is enough to benefit your heart.

According to Daily Mail, the scientists noted that while having exercises for longer periods was good, exercising in repeated short spells of intense activities like star jumps had immense benefits.

‘The key is to get your heart rate up,’ they said.

While conducting their research, the scientists, from Newcastle University, prescribed a regime of brief bouts of exercise to a group of Type 2 diabetes patients. They saw early signs of heart damage being repaired within 12 weeks.

Study leader, Professor Michael Trenell said: ‘There is no reason why the benefits should not apply to other people.’

Type 2 diabetes, often associated with obesity, leads to changes in the structure of the heart, increasing the chance of heart attack and strokes.

The research was done with 12 patients having few moments on a cycling machine. This process was repeated five times and three times a week for twelve weeks.

At the start, each moment lasted for two minutes and subsequently ten seconds were added every week until each bout lasted three minutes and 50 seconds. After the process had been completed, scans of their heart showed they had far more benefit than a group of 11 who did not do the exercises.

Professor Trenell said: ‘I am not saying short bursts of intense exercise are better than longer spells of moderate exercise, both are good, but it can be daunting for some people to contemplate a long period of exercise, so we have shown that short bouts can be effective.’