When it comes to our health, every second of movement counts. That’s why I’m such a big advocate of making time for short bursts of exercise throughout the day – an approach known as “exercise snacking”.

Now, a recent study from researchers in China has investigated just how effective this approach to fitness is for our health. It found that breaking up eight hours of sitting with 10 squats every 45 minutes led to a bigger drop in our blood sugar than going for a 30 minute walk.

The thinking is that more regular movement is better at mopping up excess sugar in our blood following a meal. It minimises the rollercoaster of blood sugar spikes, which can increase our Type 2 diabetes risk and affect mood, energy levels and productivity.

The more you “exercise snack” throughout the day, the better it is for your blood sugar, blood pressure, cholesterol, weight management and even your mood. Every time you exercise, you’re releasing feel-good endorphins. 

As well as squatting, any other short burst of exercise will trigger a similar result. Tie them onto existing habits to encourage movement throughout your day, without having to carve out big chunks of time.

My ideal recommendation would be to get up every 30 minutes and move for three minutes. Most of us spend nine to 10 hours a day seated and prolonged periods of sitting are detrimental to our long-term health and getting up regularly breaks that up. But any movement, even just the 45 seconds they looked at in the study, is beneficial. 

Do a fitness salutation as soon as you wake up

LA CROSSE, Wis. (WEAU) – The La Crosse County Aging and Disability Resource Center hosted their 7th annual Senior Health and Wellness Day event Wednesday. The event changes locations every year and this year it was held at Trane Park. ADRC manager Carissa Pagel-Smith says the park has many activities that can be held to help seniors keep active.

“In a lot of cases, it’s an ability to be socially connected with others, maintain or improve your mobility, increase your independence and be able to maintain living within a home, and reduce risk of falls,” says Pagel-Smith.

The ADRC had several physical activities available for the seniors at the event.

“We have Drift Cycle here who have some bikes available for folks to be able to try out. We have the city Park and Rec Program that is here doing their fit lot exercise program with the use of the outdoor fitness space here at Trane Park. We’ve got equipment for pickleball. We have Emplify and Mayo as well as well here, providing various health screens and assessments,” says Pagel-Smith.

Pagel-Smith was a part of bringing this event to La Crosse. She says it’s important to emphasize the importance of being active.

“Whatever that means to you, whether it’s walking or biking or doing an exercise class, giving people the opportunity, the exposure to learn about what our community has to offer. I would say health promotion is particularly of importance for older adults,” says Pagel-Smith.

The event also had local groups and organizations that had booths presenting opportunities for seniors in the area. Pagel-Smith says the ADRC is thankful for the local support because they wouldn’t be able to do this on their own.

“I do truly appreciate the ability to offer opportunities for other vendors and programs to come and share what they have to offer because we can’t do it all. We don’t want to duplicate resources. What do we all have to offer in an event like this? It allows people to come in to check it all out,” says Pagel-Smith.

According to the La Crosse County ADRC, more than 1,000 organizations across the U.S. will host events for over 100,000 senior citizens.

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