Do you struggle with finding the time, or even the motivation, to fit physical activity into your already busy day? Instead of taking an hour out of your day to get to the gym, or to do a workout at home, research has shown that you can incorporate small bouts of exercise throughout the day — exercise “snacks” — and still reap the benefits.
Researchers from McMaster University and UBC Okanagan, have shown that exercise “snacks” show similar benefits as high-intensity intervals. Exercise “snacks” grew out of the concept of high-intensity interval training (HIIT) and sprint interval training (SIT), but are shorter in nature and have a much longer rest period between intervals. Think hours between intervals instead of minutes or seconds. Their studies focused on brief stair climbing (three flights of stairs, on three separate occasions throughout the day, with 1 to 4 hours between sessions).
Besides cutting down on the time spent at the gym or in actual organized fitness sessions, the nice thing about exercise “snacks” is that they simply increase the amount of activity in your day. Sit less, move more! These activities increase your NEAT, or non-exercise activity thermogenesis (NEAT), which is the energy expended for everything we do that is not sleeping, eating or sports-like exercise. Moving more throughout the day not only helps your body feel better, it can improve job productivity and mental health as well. A 2011 University of Illinois, study found that the human brain’s attention span drops significantly after a long period of focusing on a single task, decreasing the ability to focus and leading to a decline in performance. Even exercise bouts as little as 20-60 seconds can bring benefits. You do not need to be sweaty or get the heart rate up considerably. Short yoga, mobility or stretching session also help. Get creative with your sessions. Use water bottles as light hand weights for extra resistance. Make use of the stairs at home or in the office and walk up and down at a brisk pace to get the blood pumping after sitting for an extended period of time.
Rethink the way you look at activity and exercise and get creative. Work with what you have available to you. So set a timer on your smart watch or phone to go off every hour and get moving with an exercise “snack”!
Janice Keown, BSc. Kin, CSEP-CPT, ACSM EP-C, Fitness & Sports Instructor, PSP CFB Kingston