Have You Tried Exercise Snacking?

I recently learned a term that immediately got my attention: exercise snacking.

And no, unfortunately, it does not involve eating snacks while exercising. 😂

Exercise snacking is the idea of breaking movement into short bursts throughout your day instead of thinking exercise only “counts” if you carve out 30, 45 or 60 minutes for a workout.

As soon as I heard the term, I realized this is something I’ve been talking about with my clients for years, especially the ones who tell me they’re simply too busy to find time to exercise.

Instead of waiting for that perfect 45-minute window, we start looking for the little windows that already exist.

I’ve had clients do lunges between patients, squats while brushing their teeth, a 10-minute walk after a meal, a few minutes of strength exercises between meetings, or taking the stairs when there’s an opportunity. We start sprinkling movement throughout the day.

I love this concept because I think so many of us have an all-or-nothing mentality around exercise. If we don’t have time for the full workout, we do nothing, even though five or ten minutes still counts.

Researchers are studying these short bursts of activity, and there’s growing evidence that they can have real benefits, particularly for people who aren’t consistently exercising.

I’m still committed to strength training and longer walks, especially as I get older. For me, the takeaway is that movement can happen outside a workout and add up throughout the day: five minutes here, ten minutes there, a few squats, a few lunges, or a quick walk after lunch or dinner.

For someone who keeps saying, “I just don’t have time to exercise,” that can completely change the conversation.

Maybe, alongside asking ourselves, “Did I work out today?” we can also ask, “Where can I find a few little windows to move my body today?”

Those little windows can add up.