Still struggling to find your pandemic fitness groove? Lots of people are still finding their way with at-home exercise and find themselves more sedentary than they’d like these days. But it turns out, bite-sized workouts known as “exercise snacks” could be the fix to help you stay more active during the day.
So if you tend to skip your virtual Pilates classes, don’t feel bad and try a micro-workout instead. New research finds that breaking up prolonged sitting with short activity breaks - like a two-minute walk or a set of squats - can help stabilize blood sugar levels. And another study shows that people who did three intermittent bouts of stair-climbing a day - three flights or 60 steps per bout - got a cardiovascular boost similar to one they’d get from a longer moderate-intensity workout.
Basically, any movement that gets your blood flowing has benefits for your overall health, especially if you sit all day. To get started, Nike Master Trainer Joe Holder recommends setting an alarm for every 60 to 90 minutes of sitting and getting up to do 10 minutes of exercise snacking. Take a quick walk, do a short yoga flow video, or do some lunges across the room - anything that gets your heart pumping. And as an added bonus, after that active break from work, you may feel more productive and focused, so it’s a win-win.
Source: Shape