Exercise Snacks
- 2 days ago
- 2 min read
By Davis Kos-Whicher, physiotherapy exam candidate
For many, finding the time to exercise can be challenging. We know that exercise is good for our health but it can be easy to allow for an exercise habit to take the hit when life gets busy. From busy work schedules, social events, kids activities, household chores, etc., it is no wonder there is limited time to exercise. If you have ever felt like you would like to exercise more but your schedule will not allow it, continue reading below!
Introducing exercise “snacks”! Consider these like the banana or granola bar of the fitness world. Exercise snacks are a relatively new area of research but the science and concepts behind them are not. An exercise snack is a short but intense bout of exercise with the intention of increasing physical activity levels throughout the day 1. As an example, running hard because you are about to miss your bus would qualify as an exercise snack. The science of exercise snacks demonstrates that they are an effective strategy to improve cardiorespiratory fitness 1. Furthermore, it has been shown that these effects are increased in individuals who are more physically inactive 1. If you are new to fitness these can be a great way of getting your activity in without committing to a big long workout.
To perform an exercise snack it is important to think of how long and how intensely the activity should be. Typically an exercise snack in the literature ranges between 1-2 minutes but some studies extend them up to 10 minutes 1. With duration and intensity in mind, generally the more intense the activity, the shorter its duration. It would be unlikely you would be able to perform an exercise snack of sprinting up your workplace stairs for 10 straight minutes. If an exercise snack were to be 10 minutes it would be important to use a moderate intensity. To summarize, keep the very intense exercise snacks short, (0.5-2 minutes) and the less intense exercise snacks longer (5-10 minutes). Think running up 2 flights of stairs vs. a brisk walk outside at work. Studies seem to recommend performing exercise snacks up to 3 times daily 2.
Exercise snacks can improve our cardiovascular health, power output, and they are time efficient 1. These are all awesome benefits, however I do not believe these should replace all or other forms of exercise for most individuals. The Canadian Physical Activity Guidelines for cardiovascular activity suggest that adults aged 18-64 should aim for 150 minutes of moderately intense exercise or 75 minutes of vigorously intense exercise per week. If you are someone who has been able to exercise consistently, consider exercise snacks as an adjunct to your usual routine (they are still beneficial). If you are someone who struggles to find the time for exercise, consider exercise snacks as a way to help increase your weekly physical activity levels. Lastly exercise snacks, although short in duration can still be stressful on the body. It is recommended to talk to your doctor before starting any new vigorous exercise routine.
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