Staying healthy and active is crucial, especially as we age, yet many individuals find it challenging to incorporate exercise into their busy lives. Recent research suggests that engaging in short bursts of physical activity, referred to as ‘exercise snacks’, may be a practical solution for less active individuals looking to enhance their cardiorespiratory fitness. These brief intervals of around five minutes of exercise, performed at least twice a day, are easier for most people to commit to than traditional, time-consuming workout plans.
Regular physical activity is essential for maintaining good health. It significantly reduces the risk of various chronic conditions, including cardiovascular disease, diabetes, cancer, hypertension, obesity, depression, and osteoporosis, along with lowering the risk of premature death. Despite these benefits, many adults struggle to meet the recommended guidelines of 150 minutes of moderate activity or 75 minutes of vigorous activity each week, as suggested by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). Alarmingly, a recent study indicated that nearly one-third of adults engage in insufficient physical activity to support their health.
A comprehensive review study published in the British Journal of Sports Medicine highlighted the potential of exercise snacks in improving heart and lung function for physically inactive adults. The lead author, Miguel Ángel Rodríguez, a doctoral researcher at the University of Oviedo in Spain, shared insights with Medical News Today, stating, “When asked why they don’t exercise, the most common replies are lack of time and motivation. Exercise snacks directly address both: They’re short, flexible, and easy to integrate into daily routines.”
The study analyzed data from 11 previous studies conducted across Canada, Australia, China, and the United Kingdom, involving 414 participants, with a demographic split of approximately one-third men and two-thirds women, aged 18 to 75 years. All participants were initially sedentary or physically inactive. Notably, in nine out of the eleven studies that measured body mass index (BMI), all participants fell into the normal, overweight, or obese categories.
Exercise protocols varied, with participants engaging in physical activity 3 to 7 days a week, performing between 2 and 10 exercise snacks daily at moderate to vigorous intensity for a maximum of 5 minutes each session, over periods ranging from 4 to 12 weeks. Exercises included stair climbing, leg-focused strength training, and tai chi, a low-impact martial art known for enhancing balance, strength, and flexibility.
Remarkably, 83% of participants adhered to their exercise regimen throughout the study, a significant improvement compared to traditional high-intensity interval training (HIIT), where only 63% maintained their commitment. Researchers assessed various outcomes, including cardiorespiratory fitness, muscle strength, endurance, blood lipids, BMI, body fat percentage, balance, blood pressure, and mental health indicators such as anxiety and depression. Even with less than the recommended exercise amounts, exercise snacks led to statistically significant improvements in cardiorespiratory fitness among younger physically inactive adults and muscular endurance in older adults.
Rodríguez emphasized the remarkable nature of these gains achieved through minimal exercise volumes, stating, “This suggests that small, consistent bouts of movement can meaningfully improve fitness, even for those struggling to dedicate long periods to exercise.” However, the researchers noted that since only one of the studies compared exercise snacks with continuous moderate intensity exercise, further research is needed to determine whether the benefits are equivalent to those from longer sessions.
The overarching message is clear: effective exercise does not require lengthy, structured, or complicated routines. Short, repeated bouts of activity, or ‘exercise snacks’, can significantly enhance fitness levels with minimal time investment. Personalization is key to maximizing benefits, as individual responses to training can vary widely among adults and older adults due to differences in physiological capacity, recovery rates, and baseline fitness levels.
Rodríguez concluded, “Any opportunity to move, even briefly, can substantially contribute to your health. Incorporating short, vigorous activities whenever feasible is a highly valuable strategy for improving overall health and cardiorespiratory fitness.” Dr. Cheng-Han Chen, a board-certified interventional cardiologist, echoed this sentiment, remarking that this type of exercise may provide an efficient way for busy or sedentary individuals to gain cardiopulmonary benefits with only brief periods of high-intensity activity.
