You can snack and get healthier!

But it is a different kind of snacking. They are called Exercise Snacks.

We all want to feel better, be healthier and live longer. Exercise Snacks are short bursts of activity. They are easy forms of exercise that give you similar benefits as long sustained workouts. It is simple to integrate these into your daily life and they do not require any special equipment.

Health benefits of Exercise Snacking

Short bursts of movement have been shown to increase body oxygenation levels, reduce premature death, improve cardiovascular health, increase muscle strength, control blood sugar to help prevent heart disease and diabetes, and increase metabolism.

Easy Exercise Snacks for your day

Put individual short bursts of activities into your day and get all the benefits of Exercise by Snacking. Incorporate some of these throughout your day to feel better and be healthier. Your target is one minute of sustained activity to make you breathe a little harder:

• Three flights of stairs as quickly, and safely, as you can.
• Walking or wall lunges
• Counter pushups
• Jumping Jacks
• Run in place with high knees.
• Burpees with or without the push up
• Walk briskly around your house.
• Walk briskly while on a phone call.

Looking for something more? Make these into an 11-minute workout:

The 11-minute workout recommended by Dr. Gibala: https://vimeo.com/mcmasteruniversity/review/469098123/909a5c503f

• 60 seconds of warm-up with easy jumping jacks.
• 60 seconds of burpees (but without the push-up).
• Rest for 60 seconds by walking in place.
• 60 seconds of high-kneed running in place.
• Rest for 60 seconds by walking in place.
• 60 seconds of split squat jumps (beginning and ending in a lunch position, alternating legs).
• Rest for 60 seconds by walking in place.
• 60 seconds of high-kneed running in place.
• Rest for 60 seconds by walking in place.
• 60 seconds of split squat jumps.
• 60-second cool-down by walking in place.

Exercise snacking is the newest form of High Intensity Interval Training (HIIT). HIIT has been around for a while. It has many health benefits which exceed those of a traditional 30-minute cardio workouts that we have all been taught. Exercise Snacking has been shown to get these same benefits with less body wear and in a shorter period of time.

Snack on….

Be Well,

Dr. Mark

Check out the full article at www.bluezones.com

https://www.bluezones.com/2021/02/exercise-snacks-may-be-as-good-or-better-than-traditional-workouts/?utm_source=BLUE+ZONES+Newsletter&utm_campaign=1a11ba505e-FEBRUARY-2021-1&utm_medium=email&utm_term=0_9642311849-1a11ba505e-200507896&mc_cid=1a11ba505e&mc_eid=89618dc1f7