An exciting fitness concept gaining momentum in the health and wellness community is “exercise snacking”. Dean Zweck, product development manager at Total Fitness has shared his insights below on this trendy way to exercise with a busy schedule. 

What is exercise snacking?

Exercise snacking is the phrase for bite-sized workouts you can perform throughout the day. These bursts of exercises can be as brief as a few minutes and add up over the day. The idea of exercise snacking is to keep your body moving consistently, even if it’s just for a few minutes at a time.

Benefits of exercise snacking

The benefits of exercise snacking are manifold, and your readers might be intrigued to know how it can positively impact their daily lives. Here are some key benefits and examples:

• Breaking up prolonged periods of sitting is excellent for overall health and keeping your body active.
• It aids in weight management and improves posture.
• Quick sets of squats or push-ups between tasks can boost productivity and fitness.
• Boosts metabolism, resulting in additional calorie burning.
• It elevates mood and boosts energy even with a few jumping jacks.

Duration and frequency

The fantastic thing about exercise snacking is that it’s flexible. You can start with a few minutes a few times daily and gradually increase the duration and frequency as you get more comfortable. The key is consistency – aim for several ‘snacks’ a day, as long as you can fit them into your schedule.

NEAT (Non-Exercise Activity Thermogenesis)

NEAT revolves around the calories burned during everyday activities that aren’t planned exercise. Simple choices like taking the stairs instead of the lift or tidying up the house contribute to NEAT. It plays a more significant role in calorie burn than exercise, with 5% coming from exercise and a substantial 15% from NEAT.

How exercise snacking and NEAT help achieve fitness and weight loss goals

Exercise snacking is an excellent way to incorporate exercise into your daily life, especially for those unable to go to the gym daily. It’s an ideal approach for increasing their daily activity levels. Exercise snacking can improve fitness and weight loss by keeping you active throughout the day.

These mini-workouts engage various muscle groups, improving muscle tone and increasing calorie burn. It can also help control cravings and boost energy levels.