Exercise snacking has nothing to do with eating chips during a SoulCycle class.
It simply means doing short bursts of exercise throughout the day. The extra movement may be as effective as taking a spin class or doing sprints on your own, some experts say.
“For one week I committed to climbing three flights of stairs three times a day at work, the same type of stair climbing examined in a headline-making study recently published in the journal Applied Physiology, Nutrition, and Metabolism.“
The study found that its test group of sedentary adults who climbed a three-flight staircase three times a day – with a one- to four-hour break between each climb – were stronger and fitter at the end of the six-week study than the control group who did not climb stairs.
“That was my biggest takeaway from the week — that taking these kinds of short breaks throughout the day did not impact my work but instead made me feel better physically and mentally which, in turn, made my work better.”
“I also noticed feeling more in control of my breath in my workout classes. My legs felt sorer, which I attributed to my workouts, but now realize I can put some of the blame, or credit, for that on exercise snacking too.”
I’ll definitely keep snacking
“I am on board with the exercise snacking trend and have made stair climbing a habit.”
“I’ve found it actually adds to my productivity because I return to my desk more alert. It also breaks up my day and allows me to focus for a period of time on a task knowing that I’ll have this break coming up.”
“I’ll check my time occasionally to see how I’m progressing, but I’ve also tried to leave my phone at my desk so it gives me at least a minute or two away from a screen. A mini-meditation is how I’ve come to look at each “snack” break.”
Researchers said they want to keep looking into whether shorter breaks between “snacks” can improve cardiorespiratory fitness even more, and what the breaks can do to health factors like blood pressure and blood sugar levels.
If stairs are not an option for you at work, there are still ways to incorporate exercise snacks at a lesser intensity, whether it is a walk down the hall, squats or yoga moves at your desk or simply standing up and stretching for an energy boost.
Y7 STUDIO
Imagine walking up the stairs to your yoga class and immediately feeling motivated by Drake’s “Start from the bottom now you’re here” lyrics. These stairs set the tone for Y7 Studio’s overall vibe.
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The yoga studio Y7 used the art of words encouraging customers doing exercise snacks, in this case climbing the stairs. I could see how this can be implemented in other places as well as our own home.
