Exercise Snacks: Short Bursts of Activity for Cardiorespiratory Fitness
What Are Exercise Snacks? Defining the Short-Burst Workout
The term “exercise snack” (aka snacktivity) was coined by cardiologist Howard Hartley in 2007. Briefly, exercise snacks are defined as activities lasting no more than 1 minute, performed intermittently every 1-4 hours. The activities can include moderate movements, such as brisk walking, or vigorous movements, such as stair climbing or short sprints.
Life gets busy for all of us at some points. Work, school, and family obligations all demand our time. Investing time in ourselves with exercise looks to be an insurmountable barrier. In fact, a perceived lack of time is one of the most frequently cited barriers to exercise participation. Reducing the time demands of exercise with exercise snacks is a clever strategy to avoid this obstacle.
The Science Behind Exercise Snacks and Fitness Gains
How Short, Intense Efforts Boost Cardiorespiratory Fitness (CRF)
How much can one benefit from exercise snacking? Perhaps more than you would expect. Despite the short duration of snacktivity, breaking up an 8.5h sitting session with 14-20s stair climbs performed every hour has been shown to enhance femoral blood flow beyond sitting alone. Regular practice of vigorous exercise snacking also has the potential to enhance maximum oxygen consumption (VO2max). Intensity of effort, rather than duration, appears to be the crucial factor driving improvements in cardiorespiratory fitness, and a regimen of vigorous exercise snacks can fit that bill.
Metabolic Benefits: Improving Insulin Sensitivity and Blood Sugar Control
Enhancing insulin sensitivity is one of the strongest potential benefits of exercise snacking. To elaborate, insulin sensitivity refers to one’s ability to take up glucose from the bloodstream. More insulin sensitivity means one expresses more insulin receptors and is better able to keep glucose levels from rising too high. In short, more insulin sensitivity makes one less likely to be a type II diabetic and is a great indicator of metabolic health.
Exercise increases insulin sensitivity, and this effect is realized with very little exercise of not too much intensity. For example, light but frequent activity throughout the day has been found to substantially reduce glucose levels (-17%) and insulin levels (-25.1%) more than no activity. Exercise snacks, including only those of moderate intensity, can fit this description perfectly.
Research: Comparing the Effectiveness of Traditional Long Workouts
People often succumb to an “all or none” mentality in many areas of life, including exercise. With exercise, there is often a perception that one needs a large block of time, such as an hour, to reap any health benefits. This is unhelpful, as even small doses of exercise can provide meaningful health benefits.
For example, accumulating exercise throughout the day in repeated short bouts has been found to yield benefits similar to those of fitness, including lower blood pressure, lower blood lipids, and improved glucose and insulin control. The American College of Sports Medicine recommends accumulating at least 150 minutes of moderate-intensity activity each week for optimal health benefits. Exercise snacks alone will likely not achieve that goal, but the true comparison is exercise snacks vs. no activity, in which case exercise snacks demonstrate a clear health benefit.
For example, accumulating exercise throughout the day in repeated short bouts has been found to yield benefits similar to those of fitness, including lower blood pressure, lower blood lipids, and improved glucose and insulin control. The American College of Sports Medicine recommends accumulating at least 150 minutes of moderate-intensity activity each week for optimal health benefits. Exercise snacks alone will likely not achieve that goal, but the true comparison is exercise snacks vs. no activity, in which case exercise snacks demonstrate a clear health benefit.
Practical Ways to Incorporate Exercise Snacks into Your Day
The concept of exercise snacking is based on convenience. You are the boss; you decide how you incorporate these snacks into your routine.
Intensity and mode: you can choose to move at either moderate intensity (e.g., taking a brisk walk around your office, marching in place) or vigorous intensity (e.g., sprinting, running in place, climbing stairs, performing air squats to your office chair, jumping jacks). The possibilities are limitless; find ways to move that you enjoy, as it will enhance adherence. You will likely want to close your office door to avoid weirding out your coworkers – but remember, each bout will only last 30s or so.
Duration & frequency: Keep the duration under one minute at a time. For practicality, this should reduce the risk of profuse sweating, which you likely don’t want to deal with while working. Grab an exercise snack every hour or two. Try to get at least 4 snacks done during the workday, preferably every day. Snacks should not be fatiguing; you are simply boosting your metabolism above resting levels for a brief period.
FAQs
What is an exercise snack?
An exercise snack is a short burst of physical activity—typically lasting less than one minute—performed periodically throughout the day. Examples include brisk walking, stair climbing, air squats, jumping jacks, or marching in place. The goal is to break up long periods of sitting and add movement without requiring a formal workout session.
Can exercise snacks really improve fitness?
Yes. Research suggests that brief bouts of moderate- to vigorous-intensity activity performed consistently throughout the day can improve markers of cardiovascular health, blood flow, and cardiorespiratory fitness. While exercise snacks may not completely replace structured exercise, they can provide meaningful health benefits compared to remaining sedentary.
How often should I do exercise snacks?
A practical goal is to perform a short movement break every 1–2 hours during the day. Even four to six exercise snacks spread across a workday can help reduce sedentary time and support metabolic health. Consistency is often more important than duration.
Can exercise snacks help with blood sugar control?
Exercise snacks may improve insulin sensitivity and help regulate blood glucose levels. Even light-to-moderate activity performed regularly throughout the day has been shown to reduce post-meal blood sugar spikes and improve metabolic health, making exercise snacks a helpful strategy for many people.
Do exercise snacks count toward weekly physical activity goals?
Exercise snacks contribute to your overall movement and can help reduce the health risks associated with prolonged sitting. However, they may not fully replace the recommended 150 minutes of moderate-intensity physical activity per week. Ideally, exercise snacks should complement a physically active lifestyle and serve as an accessible way to move more throughout the day.
References
1Hartley, H., Lee, I. M., & Ferrari, N. (2007). An 'exercise snack' plan. Newsweek, 149(13), 60–63. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/19130829/
2Wang, T., Laher, I., & Li, S. (2024). Exercise snacks and physical fitness in sedentary populations. Sports medicine and health science, 7(1), 1–7. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.smhs.2024.02.006
3Hoare, E., Stavreski, B., Jennings, G. L., & Kingwell, B. A. (2017). Exploring Motivation and Barriers to Physical Activity among Active and Inactive Australian Adults. Sports (Basel, Switzerland), 5(3), 47. https://doi.org/10.3390/sports5030047
4Caldwell, H. G., Coombs, G. B., Rafiei, H., Ainslie, P. N., & Little, J. P. (2021). Hourly staircase sprinting exercise "snacks" improve femoral artery shear patterns but not flow-mediated dilation or cerebrovascular regulation: a pilot study. Applied physiology, nutrition, and metabolism = Physiologie appliquee, nutrition et metabolisme, 46(5), 521–529. https://doi.org/10.1139/apnm-2020-0562
5Sloth, M., Sloth, D., Overgaard, K., & Dalgas, U. (2013). Effects of sprint interval training on VO2max and aerobic exercise performance: A systematic review and meta-analysis. Scandinavian journal of medicine & science in sports, 23(6), e341–e352. https://doi.org/10.1111/sms.12092
6Chastin, S. F. M., De Craemer, M., De Cocker, K., Powell, L., Van Cauwenberg, J., Dall, P., Hamer, M., & Stamatakis, E. (2019). How does light-intensity physical activity associate with adult cardiometabolic health and mortality? Systematic review with meta-analysis of experimental and observational studies. British journal of sports medicine, 53(6), 370–376. https://doi.org/10.1136/bjsports-2017-097563
7Murphy, M. H., Lahart, I., Carlin, A., & Murtagh, E. (2019). The Effects of Continuous Compared to Accumulated Exercise on Health: A Meta-Analytic Review. Sports medicine (Auckland, N.Z.), 49(10), 1585–1607. https://doi.org/10.1007/s40279-019-01145-2
8Garber, C. E., Blissmer, B., Deschenes, M. R., Franklin, B. A., Lamonte, M. J., Lee, I. M., Nieman, D. C., Swain, D. P., & American College of Sports Medicine (2011). American College of Sports Medicine position stand. Quantity and quality of exercise for developing and maintaining cardiorespiratory, musculoskeletal, and neuromotor fitness in apparently healthy adults: guidance for prescribing exercise. Medicine and science in sports and exercise, 43(7), 1334–1359. https://doi.org/10.1249/MSS.0b013e318213fefb
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