While the initial burst of New Year’s fitness enthusiasm often wanes as the month progresses, new research offers a refreshing perspective: maintaining health and fitness doesn’t require a strict gym schedule.
Conversely, short, vigorous activity – often referred to as “exercise snacking” – can be very effective.
A study conducted by researchers in China, drawing on data from 96,408 participants in the UK Biobank study, explored the link between vigorous exercise and health outcomes over a seven-year period.
The findings were compelling, comparing activity levels against the likelihood of mortality or developing eight common health conditions, including heart disease, type 2 diabetes, liver disease, and dementia.
Studies have shown that people who incorporate more vigorous exercise into their routine experience a lower risk of all diseases. In particular, the risk of dementia was reduced by 63 percent compared to people who did not do vigorous activity.
The researchers said that this benefit remained even if the time spent exercising intensely was modest.
This concept integrates brief, high-intensity movements into everyday life that fitness experts refer to as “sport snacking”.
We spoke to a few to go deeper into what it takes and how it can be seamlessly woven into our daily routine.
“The idea is that you can break up your day with a little activity, not just the ‘main meal’ (main exercise), to keep your body relaxed, stop it from stiffening and get rid of excess energy,” explains Monty Simmons, personal trainer based in London and founder of Move with Monty.
He suggests the core idea is to “basically take yourself off your desk and move for five or 10 minutes”.
Darren Sealy, trainer and co-founder of Flow State Fit Club, concurs, describes it as a “mini workout”.
“[It] will increase your heart rate and increase your cardio and metabolic conditioning,” says Sealy.
He added that “the effects of this short activity, which usually lasts no more than five to 10 minutes at a time, can really compound for a week if you do it regularly”.
Beyond the important disease prevention highlighted by research, snacking sports offers many immediate physical benefits.
“In terms of physical benefits, snacking exercises are good for reducing feelings of stiffness and pain, and, depending on the exercise you choose, it can also be useful for counteracting slouching at your desk and can help improve your posture,” Simmons notes.
He also pointed out the value in getting “a little cardio there to get your heart rate up and get a little heart rate variability throughout the day”, and that it “can also increase the daily calories you burn just because you do a bit more activity, which really accumulates over the week”.
Integrating exercise snacking into a busy schedule is more straightforward than it might seem. For those working from home, Simmons advises simply stepping away from the desk, setting aside five or 10 minutes, and doing three or four exercises of your choice.
In an office environment, where overt exercise can feel awkward, he recommends a more subtle approach: “Drink yourself a coffee, go for a walk and maybe stretch out your thighs or do some more subtle exercises instead”.
Consistency is key, and Sealy recommends choosing a set time each day. “If you do a short activity at the same time every day, then you’re building a habit in your brain, so you know that every morning you’re going to do your five-minute workout snack, for example, which helps you build consistency,” he explains.
Simmons outlines three main types of movement ideal for snacking daily exercise. The first, his personal favorite, is stretching, which helps “reduce stiffness and increase blood flow”.
Secondly, cardio activities like “taking the stairs, getting off the bus early, walking fast, doing some star jumps, jogging in place or going for a little jog around the block” are very effective.
Finally, incorporating strength exercises such as “front lunges, push ups or sit ups” can be beneficial. He recommends mixing and matching these categories.
For practical application, here are some exercises to consider.
Standing back bends are recommended by Simmons for desk-bound individuals. “You basically stand, have your feet shoulder-width apart and have your fingers interlaced in front of you. You reach it up and overhead and look up at the ceiling, then just lean back a little bit,” He instructs.
This provides “a really nice stretch in your abs, and a little activation of your upper back muscles, and it can be great to just reverse the slouched, crunched-over sitting posture”.
Another useful movement is the morning. “For a good morning, you stand up with your feet shoulder-width apart and put your hands behind your head and stand tall, looking forward,” Simmons explained. “Then you sit your hips back, keep your knees just a little bent, but mostly straight, and you lean forward so that your chest points to the floor. You should feel a stretch in your hamstrings and the activation of your back muscles.”
This exercise is excellent for getting the back up and activating the posterior chain, which often suffers from prolonged sitting.
Finally, bodyweight exercises offer a versatile option. “Bodyweight exercises are great because you don’t need any equipment for them,” Sealy points out.
He recommends keeping it simple: “pick one upper body, one lower body, and one core exercise, then find a quiet place to do it”.
The routine may involve planks, squats, and push-ups, starting with 30 seconds per exercise and repeating the circuit three times, gradually increasing the duration and consistency.
“Eventually you can have a quick five-minute bodyweight workout routine that optimizes your upper, lower and midsection, and will tick a lot of boxes,” concludes Sealy.
Embracing snacking exercise offers a realistic and scientifically supported path to improved health, proving that even small, consistent efforts can produce significant long-term benefits.
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