Benefits of Fitness Snacking and Why You Should Try It

In today’s busy world, you may find it difficult to commit thirty minutes or more to exercise, or it may not fit into your schedule sometimes. This is where fitness snacking can be your saving grace. It’s becoming a popular wellness trend and can be a super-effective strategy to stay fit.

Contrary to what it implies, fitness snacking is not “snacking on food while exercising,” although snacking at regular intervals can have a positive impact on your fitness, too. But let’s leave that discussion for another time. Rather, fitness snacking means quick, short exercises that you perform throughout the day instead of one long workout.

• A Fast Workout You Can Do Anywhere, Anytime
• The Undeniable Health Benefits of Physical Activity
• Fitness Snacking Can Help With Brain Function Improvement
• Conclusion

A Fast Workout You Can Do Anywhere, Anytime

Sometimes, it’s tough to maintain focus on a task for a prolonged duration, no matter its complexity. Long workouts, like a thirty-minute workout, may lead to an hour-long rest, thus causing more harm than good.

In essence, fitness snacking splits one intense workout into small, fast exercises of about twenty seconds to a minute each, with relatively long breaks between them. This ensures you don’t experience exercise burnout while trying to shed those extra pounds. Such short interval exercise breaks at work are super effective at getting you energized and pumped up for the tasks ahead. It can help you incorporate small, useful movements in your lifestyle without experiencing any noticeable muscular strain. 

Another huge benefit of fitness snacking is that you don’t need any heavy equipment and can easily do it anywhere and at any time. Some quick exercises that you can start with are:

Climbing Stairs: Quickly move up and down the stairs for twenty seconds.

Knee Raises: Raise your knees one after the other for twenty seconds.

Shoulder Stretch: Give your shoulders a good stretch every time you get up after prolonged sitting.

Double-Footed Jumps: Jump forward and then backward using both your feet. Repeat it for twenty seconds.

In short, do any movement that raises your heart rate for twenty seconds or more, or for a few minutes. That is what fitness snacking is—a quick and fast workout.

This snack trend has become increasingly common since the COVID-19 pandemic brought the usually busy world to a temporary halt and a sedentary lifestyle has made its way into more and more homes. 

You might have lost motivation to do longer workouts at home, and you might fear the new normal at gyms. Snack exercises can be a great alternative to keep yourself active throughout the day.

Here is a five-minute Youtube video with short and quick exercises you can perform at home/work.

The Undeniable Health Benefits of Physical Activity

No matter what gender you are and which part of the world you live in, consider exercise as mandatory for you. Exercise prevents many health disorders associated with physical inactivity. If you aren’t a gym person or if you’re a homemaker or someone who prefers staying at home, fitness snacking is the best alternative for you to stay fit and active. It brings you numerous health benefits and is equally effective for teens as well as adults, especially those above the age of thirty-five.

Research done in 2019 has shown that fitness snacking improves muscle function in healthy older adults. It is considered more beneficial than a regular thirty-minute workout in regulating cardiorespiratory functions. It helps in lowering your blood pressure and blood sugar levels by improving insulin metabolism.

Furthermore, fitness snacking relieves muscle aches, reduces signs of aging, and makes you feel more energetic. Including these small bursts of exercise in your daily routine will effectively improve overall body function. 

So, the next time you wonder how to lose 10 pounds, know that fitness snacking is your way to go. Just steal a few minutes from your lunch break or while preparing your meals, do some jumping jacks, and you are done.

In addition to physical health, fitness snacking can positively impact your mental health, too. By triggering the release of endorphins, fitness snacking can help reduce stress and anxiety levels and increase the happiness quotient. As a result, you feel calm and collected throughout the day and sleep better at night. 

Fitness snacking can also help if you are suffering from depression, PTSD, panic disorder, or any other disease that compromises your mental health. These small spurts of exercise can help eventually lead you to a better and healthier lifestyle.

Fitness Snacking Can Help With Brain Function Improvement

If you are having a hard time staying mentally present in a conversation, or you frequently lose focus while performing certain tasks, start exercising as soon as possible.

Lack of physical activity can affect your brain the same way it affects other body parts, or perhaps even more. The damage that your brain can suffer from sedentary behavior is sometimes irreversible. So, make sure you water your brain with good thoughts and exercise to keep it strong and healthy.

Research suggests that snacking on exercise rewards your brain in more than one way. It improves memory, learning,and thinking power; boosts creativity; and sharpens your skills. Exercise can help prevent your brain from pre-aging and reduce the risk of brain-related disorders like dementia, Alzheimer’s, and schizophrenia. Regular fitness snacking boosts the production of new brain cells and neurons. Thus, it helps maintain focus and keep your brain alert at all times.

Exercising regularly can also help improve your mood as it promotes the release of feel-good chemicals in your body. Besides that, it can also boost your self-esteem as you stay consistent and motivated due to the accomplishment of small workout goals.

If you have trouble falling asleep, fitness snacking can potentially fix that,too. Physical activity helps your muscles relax and reduces inflammation, which might be the main reason behind your discomfort.

Conclusion

In contrast to food snacking, fitness snacking is the snacking you will never regret. It refers to short, quick workouts that you can perform almost anywhere, whether at home or work. Each workout takes less than one minute and includes activities as simple as climbing stairs. There are many proven benefits of fitness snacking, both for your physical and mental health, so you should definitely incorporate the practice in your daily life.