Vacuuming and scrubbing the floor are both enough exercise to protect your heart and extend your life, a global study has shown.

Scientists found that 30 minutes of activity per day, or 150 minutes per week, reduced the risk of death from any cause by 28 per cent and rates of heart disease by a fifth.

But it was not necessary to run, swim, or work out in the gym, said the researchers writing in The Lancet journal.

Of the more than 130,000 people from 17 countries who took part in the international study, fewer than 3 per cent who achieved high levels of activity did so through leisure pursuits.

In contrast almost 40 per cent of highly active participants benefited from commuting, having a physical job, or domestic chores.