Can you stay fit via short intense bursts or 'microdoses' of exercise?

Short, intense bursts of movement spread through the day can deliver meaningful fitness benefits, exercise researchers say.

Studies of so-called exercise snacks have found improvements in cardiorespiratory fitness from just a few minutes of vigorous effort repeated regularly.

Stair climbing, brisk hill walking and short cycling efforts are among the activities used in trials.

Specialists stress the approach complements rather than replaces regular activity, and suits people who struggle to find longer blocks of time.