Participate in Some Exercise Snacks
Short bursts of movement for better health
The new buzz in exercise is the exercise snack. The American College of Sports Medicine describes exercise snacks as bouts of exercise that are short in duration. These snacks can be performed anywhere with no need for equipment. With these factors in mind, they can easily fit into a busy lifestyle and can be done at various times during the day, thus increasing the amount of exercise being done on a daily basis. Most of these snacks are solely using body weight.
Basic movements, even fidgeting, burns calories but more intense exercises are more effective. These exercises can be mood elevators. Also, participating in exercises that are done in short bouts throughout the day mobilize the participant and gets them out of prolonged positioning and gets the blood circulating.
A snack can merely be doing a bout of sit-ups, pushups, plank-ups, squats to fatigue or running up and down steps. Picking an activity that is of short duration but intense enough that you feel you have worked is important to make it worth doing.
It just makes sense to participate in this new concept. First, it can make someone who has a busy life feel that they are at least doing some exercise. Secondly, performing exercises intermittently with some intensity can have an effect on blood sugar levels. Using calories and the release of glucagon, a hormone that mobilizes sugar can make an impact on the energy level. Lastly, attempts to stimulate the body utilizes calories and may affect the cardiovascular and musculoskeletal systems of the body.
When choosing an exercise for a snack, consider any body restrictions or chronic injuries. These snacks are meant to be advantageous, not detrimental to overall health. Choosing a push up plank with a shoulder issue or doing one-legged mini jumps with a balance problem would be counterintuitive. The exercise should be stimulating, mood building, blood pumping, and goal oriented. It can be done while either doing another daily chore or with full focus on the exercise at hand.
In summary, exercise snacks can be added to your everyday life. Keeping medical conditions and the body’s limitations in mind is key in order to participate in these fun but brief exercise tidbits. Participations can infuse the body with an improved mood, with success on smaller goals, and may even kickstart someone into wanting to do even more than just these short exercise bouts.
Join the fun and start implementing snacks into your daily grind. Whether you are working or retired, make room for the addition of small bouts of repetitive movements that can contribute to a healthier mind and body.
To Your Health!
Paula Allia is doctor of Physical Therapy with over 45 years of experience specializing in orthopedics, manual therapy, and vertigo. She also served as a consultant on the USA Diving's Performance Enhancement Team for 17 years to develop comprehensive programs to enhance performance, physical well-being, and overall health.
Paula Allia
PT, DHSc
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