Exercise Snacks: Bite-Sized Fitness to Meet the Demands of Modern Life!

 In Blog
0

Introduction

In the fast-paced rhythm of modern life, finding time for a full-length workout can be a daunting challenge. Enter “exercise snacks”— a concept that’s reshaping how we think about physical activity, breaking up sedentary lifestyles, and managing our cardiometabolic fitness. These are brief bouts of physical activity, typically lasting just a few minutes at a time, that can be sprinkled throughout the day (picture your snack breaks sprinkled throughout the day, but rather than chewing on peanut M&M’s or carrot sticks, you’re snacking on exercise). But what exactly are exercise snacks, and why are they gaining traction? This blog post will dive more into what exercise snacks are and what they may look like in practice, discuss the benefits that exercise snacking provides, and highlight which special populations may especially serve to benefit from this form of microdosed fitness..

What Are Exercise Snacks?

Although perhaps not as tasty as the kind of snacks you may be thinking of, exercise snacks can be a great treat for your health! As mentioned earlier, exercise snacks are short, intense bursts of physical activity that can be done anywhere, anytime! These have arisen from high intensity interval training (HIIT) and sprint interval training (SIT) methods which aim to elevate the heart rate and perception of effort during movement for a short period of time.
The idea is to integrate these mini-workouts into your daily routine, throughout the day to produce both transient and cumulative effects on our health and wellness. Exercise snacks may help make fitness more accessible and less intimidating to many people who may not necessarily have the time, resources and/or motivation to complete a traditional regular-length workout.
Examples of exercise snacks include (but are not limited to):
  • Climbing stairs for one minute, several times a day.
  • Performing squats or lunges while waiting for your coffee to brew.
  • Doing a set of push-ups or planks during a break from work.
  • Walking briskly around the block or office for 2-3 minutes.
  • High knees or jumping jacks during TV commercial breaks.
  • Doing mountain-climbers for 2 minutes

 

Why Snack on Exercise? Benefits for Body and Recovery!

The appeal of exercise snacks lies in their flexibility and effectiveness. Exercise snacks present a variety of benefits, including:
  • Improved Cardiovascular Health: Short bursts of intense activity can elevate your heart rate and improve cardiovascular health, presenting somewhat similar benefits to longer sessions of traditional exercise.
  • Increased Metabolic Rate: Frequent movement throughout the day helps to keep your metabolism active, aiding in weight management and improved blood-glucose control.
  • Enhanced Mental Well-Being: Exercise snacks can reduce stress, improve mood, and increase overall mental clarity. Moving the body and exerting ourselves aerobically releases natural endorphins (feel-good hormones) and helps improve our attention, focus, and memory retention. This may serve to boost productivity in the workplace, at school, and at the individual level.
  • Better Adherence: Short, manageable sessions are often much easier to commit to as they require very low time commitment, thereby reducing the likelihood of skipping workouts due to time constraints. Most exercise snacks can also be done without any equipment or access to a gym space, thereby overcoming potential barriers to fitness accessibility.
  • Reduced Sedentary Behavior: Breaking up long periods of sitting or inactviity with physical activity can counteract the negative effects of a sedentary lifestyle. Recent scientific literature suggests that exercise snacks can help mitigate or reduce some of the detrimental risks to metabolic health which may arise in overweight/obese individuals who live a sedentary lifestyle, and that exercise snacking throughout the day (such as stair climbing) may therein reduce risk of type 2 diabetes and cardiovascular disease within this population.

Who Can Benefit?

While everyone can obtain health benefits from implementing micro-breaks of exercise throughout the day, there are some special populations which may serve to especially benefit from exercise snacks. Exercise snacks can be particularly advantageous for certain populations and lifestyles, including:

#1: Busy Professionals

Those with demanding schedules can fit in exercise snacks during brief breaks, ensuring they still get physical activity without needing to carve out large blocks of time. Busy work schedules may not always provide the free time required to stick to a traditional sustained workout regimen. Given life’s demands outside of work as well, exercise snacks may be a feasible solution to ensure these individuals can still benefit from movement albeit in a reduced volume.

#2: Older Adults

Short, gentle exercise snacks can help maintain mobility, strength, and balance, thereby reducing the risk of falls and improving overall health. By promoting feasible, accessible fitness to help maintain functional independence, older adults may feel more empowered when performing activities of daily living. More so, these individuals may reduce their risk of falls and subsequent fractures, which can potentially have detrimental effects on their quality of life.
Exercise can be an extremely beneficial tool in helping one manage their type 2 diabetes.

 

#3: People with Chronic Conditions

Individuals with conditions like diabetes or hypertension can benefit from frequent, moderate-intensity exercise. Exercise snacking may also be easier to manage and is less intimidating than longer workouts. Individuals with insulin resistance, such as those who are prediabetic or with type 2 diabetes demonstrate improved glycemic control in response to exercise snacking before ingesting meals. Although everyone can serve to benefit from exercise snacking, those with insulin resistance and/or poor cardiometabolic health may especially benefit as these bouts of intense exercise can elicit beneficial changes to our metabolic profile.

#4: People Who Are New to Exercise

Those new to fitness may find exercise snacks less overwhelming in comparison to more traditional sustained exercise sessions. Exercise snacks do not require a gym membership, or specific equipment/technology, and are thus quite accessible to the majority of people. With exercise snacks typically being simple movements using only one’s bodyweight, they are a great way to build confidence and establish a habit of regular physical activity.

 

Exercise Snacks vs. Traditional Training?

From a feasibility standpoint, exercise snacks offer several advantages over traditional exercise:
  • Time-Efficient: Exercise snacks help eliminate the excuse of not having enough time, as they can be squeezed into even the busiest schedules. Lasting 1-3 minutes, these can
  • Accessibility: No need for a gym membership or special equipment; many forms of exercise snacks can be done with body weight or common objects around the house or office.

 

  • Flexibility: These mini-workouts can be adapted to fit various fitness levels and environments, making them accessible to a wider audience.
  • Consistency: By integrating physical activity into daily routines, individuals are more likely to maintain consistent exercise habits, leading to better long-term outcomes. The best workout program is one that you are able to stick to!
In comparison, traditional exercise routines, though beneficial, often require dedicated time, specific locations (like gyms), and sometimes even a financial commitment. While these workouts are excellent for comprehensive fitness, they can be challenging to sustain for people with hectic lives or those just starting their fitness journey.

Closing

Exercise snacks are revolutionizing the way we approach physical activity, making fitness more attainable and less daunting. Whether you’re a busy professional, an older adult, or someone looking to dip their toes into the fitness world, these mini-workouts offer a practical, effective solution to staying active and healthy. As we continue to embrace the concept of exercise snacks, we can look forward to a more flexible and accessible approach to fitness, one bite-sized piece at a time.

Need Help Starting? Call Us Today?

As a multidisciplinary outpatient clinic optimizing patient health and education, we are happy to help you with making exercise snacks part of your day! We are here to help serve your needs – whatever they may be!

 

Visit us or call us at 519-942-8884 today to book with your neighborhood wellness clinic and let our team of specialized health professionals help you get back to being you!
Recent Posts