With New Year’s right around the corner, I wanted to take a couple of minutes today to discuss one of my favorite 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 this year 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 … all in one shot.
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 sit-ups whenever you have a couple of minutes throughout the day.
It might be a little embarrassing the first time you bear-crawl to the water cooler 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.
Your innie friend and coach,
Paul F. Sweatt CPT PN1
Train Smart. Train Hard. Train Safe. Train to Sweatt
P.S. – Before you go:
1. Join the Train to Sweatt Community
Join a group of likeminded busy people who want to get healthy and fit from the comfort of their own home just like you. Get helpful health and fitness tips and tricks every day from myself and other members.
Click here to join now and get one step closer to that healthy and fit body of your dreams.