Why I’m Loving Exercise Snacks

My husband as a high school state champion swimmer, circa 1980. (from the yearbook). I am certainly no athlete, and you don’t have to be one to see benefits from exercise snacks.

No, not food you eat when you exercise, rather, the concept of doing small bits of exercise throughout the day and how beneficial it can be! This is something I’ve been preaching to my clients for a long time (I struggle with maintaining a regular exercise routine myself) It’s so accessible, anyone can do it, and you’re giving yourself credit for everything. You don’t even need special clothing, shoes, or equipment for many of these options.

“Old” studies showed that any activity which lasted less than 10 minutes was not effective or beneficial. However, emerging data shows that everything counts! And I mean all of it! New research shows that 20 seconds of bike sprints, separate by 4 hours, 3 times per day, 3 days each week, showed a 13% improvement in cardio-metabolic health and insulin sensitivity. So all of you Peloton or stationary bike owners, you don’t need to ride for long periods, get back on your bikes for short sprints!

Fifteen to 30 seconds at a time on a stair master every hour improved insulin sensitivity. Walking 3 flights of stairs 3 times each day, 3 days per week improved overall fitness.  A two minute break every 20 minutes of otherwise sedentary time negates any potential harm from sitting. (Is that your smart Watch telling you it’s time to stand?) A very small amount of effort can have a very meaningful effect on our health.

And workouts? Try these on for size. A mere three seconds of bicep curls, maximum effort, performed daily 5 days per week, showed a 10% increase in muscle strength in 4 weeks. This included other types of bicep workouts as well, such as push ups, rowing machine, plank, yoga poses, paddling (as in kayaking or paddle boarding) all excellent forms of bicep contraction, and all can increase muscle strength. You don’t have to go hard to see the benefits. Moderate walking for a maximum of 150 minutes per week, which is a 30 minute walk 5 days each week, you can realize great improvements. If you exercise vigorously, you get double credit. That is, 2 minutes for every one minute of moderate exercise, so 75 minutes per week.

Why is this important? We’ve become more sedentary as a society.  The World Health Organization estimates that 3.2 million people die each year from living a sedentary lifestyle, as in no movement. Every solid hour sitting, say in front of the TV, (not getting up or moving around) is associated with 18% death risk for heart-related issues. This is different from sitting at a desk every day, where you’re likely to get up and move around occasionally. Another study claims that for every unbroken hour of sitting, we reduce our life expectancy by 22 minutes. Even in small amounts, people who exercise, compared with people who did not exercise, and have the exact same diet and amount of sleep, had double the amount of microbial strains in the gut. And if you’ve been following me for any time at all, you know I’m all about gut health. Not to mention that a healthy gut improves immune health (looking at you, Covid) and increases natural “killer” cells which attack cancer and other potentially dangerous cells. Imagine how good you feel knowing all of the movement you do each day is benefitting your health in so many ways.

So how do you implement this? Perhaps you can’t take a 30 minute walk every day. But you could possibly fit in a 10 minute walk, then add in some of these other exercise snacks throughout the day:
• Park farther away from the entrance of the store and take advantage of the extra steps
• Place a set of small weights next to the coffee maker, do 5 curls on each arm each time you refill your coffee (how many curls is that by the end of the week?)
• Try squatting, or wall sits while you check social media or email on your phone
• Plank in front of your favorite tv show (I do 2 minute planks each day, work up to it!)
• Push ups against the kitchen counter while you’re waiting for your lunch to reheat in the microwave
• Gardening is a great form of moderate exercise, digging is considered vigorous!

The options are endless. Think of our ancestors who were active just by doing everyday activities. There were no cars, they may have worked in fields, probably walked up hills in their villages, and carried heavy things. People in the Blue Zones live into their hundreds, and this type of physical activity is a daily occurence. No gym. No LuluLemon workout wear. No Adidas.

Take it from someone who has been a “starter and stopper” when it comes to the gym. I’m enjoying how I work out now because I’m not killing myself. I know the benefits are working from the inside out, not the other way around. You can incorporate these simple ideas into your daily life and reap the rewards. What are you going to try?

I have been following Dr Sarah Ballentyne, PhD, from ThePaleoMom.com, since I went Paleo. Her cookbook was one that helped get me through my first 90 days of Autoimmune Protocol. And her podcast, The Whole View, is one I listen to regularly. On a recent episode, the co-hosts discussed exercise snacks. They (she and co-host Stacy Toth) cover just about every health-related topic from food to exercise to self-care, you name it. It’s always informative and they back their statements with science! Recently they announced that Dr Sarah will be leaving the show to pursue other projects, but there are 500 episodes you can catch up on!