đŸ’ȘđŸ» What is an Exercise Snack?

✅ An ‘exercise snack’ is a short burst of movement done at a moderate to high intensity. It comes from the concept of high-intensity interval training (HIIT) workouts however it is snack-sized! That means only 30 seconds to a few minutes of movement done multiple times throughout the day.

Many of us live a more sedentary lifestyle with time sitting at desks at work, in the car commuting, and eventually on the couch to rest after a busy day. This makes activity hard to come by. The concept of ‘exercise snacks’ differs from a typical workout because instead of setting aside a full 30 minutes or more per day, exercise can be done in those tangible, extra few minutes. you may have spontaneously throughout the day.

đŸ’ȘđŸ» Blood Sugar Benefit

The American Diabetes Association guidelines recommend a goal of at least 150 minutes of moderate-intensity exercise per week. This stems from the fact that exercise requires your muscles to use sugar in your blood for energy and therefore lowers your blood sugar. Additionally, exercise can improve insulin sensitivity allowing the body to utilize insulin more efficiently. 

Because of these benefits, being active after a meal can be a great way to blunt the spike that you may normally see after eating. Additionally, activity throughout the day can help stabilize blood sugar without extra insulin or medications. 

Note: Due to these benefits, when starting to incorporate exercise snacks you may need to monitor sugar levels closer and adjust insulin or medications to account for this increase in activity. 

activityđŸ’ȘđŸ»How Can You Get “Snacking”?

Keep it simple! Whether you are a seasoned pro at fitness or just starting, these activities shouldn’t require special equipment, skills, or an instructor.

✅ Some example ‘snack’ ideas could be:
  • Stair climbing
  • Fast walking
  • Body weight squats or lunges
  • Push-ups
  • Jumping rope or jumping jacks
  • Resistance band exercises (These are provided to Iowa Diabetes patients!)

Basically, any activity that gets your heart rate up and requires some muscle can be done as an ‘exercise snack.’ So do what you enjoy and what works with your abilities; make it fun!

Lastly, it is important to be consistent. Anticipating and planning when you have some spare minutes in each day to ensure you achieve at least 3 ‘snacks’ per day is vital to make sure you reap the benefits. Check out some of our Movement Monday videos on Facebook for how to complete these snacks!

Summary

Exercise snacks are a way to break through some of the barriers that may be holding you back from achieving exercise goals. You don’t need to set aside a substantial amount of time, pay for a membership, or even change into workout clothes! By doing a minute of jumping jacks after your lunch break at the office you can improve not only your blood sugar but overall health and wellness.