I wanted to take a couple of minutes today to discuss one of my favourite topics.
Snacking.
But not the kind of snacking you’re expecting.
Exercise snacking.
There’s a growing body of research that intermittent, short bouts of exercise throughout the day can result in surprising improvements in your overall fitness and cardiovascular health.
In fact, according to a study published in the Journal of Applied Physiology, performing a 2 minute walk, or a quick set of exercises such as squats, can offset the effects of a half hour of sitting.
That’s huge!
The first big study on the benefits of “exercise snacking” was published in the journal Medicine & Science in Sports & Exercise in 2017. The research showed that otherwise sedentary women who climbed stairs for just 20 seconds at a time, with rest, boosted their fitness levels by 12% in six weeks.
What can we learn from this?
Of course, it’s ideal to follow a complete, well-designed training program with your coach a few times a week.
But what if life gets in the way and you can’t do “ideal” today?
You can still get some amazing benefits from doing a few short bouts of squats, lunges, push-ups, or crunches whenever you have a couple of minutes throughout the day.
It might be a little embarrassing the first time you implement some Walking Lunges on the way to the kitchen at the office, but when your co-workers see what great shape you’re getting in, chances are they’ll want to join you.
So don’t take the all-or-nothing approach. Start snacking on exercise and enjoy all the benefits.
Yours in health and fitness,
Chris
