Imagine a day filled with small moments of movement—each one contributing to your overall fitness and well-being. This is the essence of exercise snacking, a concept that challenges traditional views of exercise by emphasizing short bursts of physical activity throughout the day rather than lengthy, dedicated workout sessions.

What is exactly exercise snacking?

Exercise snacking involves integrating brief, intense bouts of exercise into your daily routine.These can be as simple as a quick set of squats before breakfast, a brisk walk during your lunch break, or a few minutes of dancing in the evening. The idea is to accumulate short bursts of activity that elevate your heart rate and engage your muscles, without the need for extended gym sessions.

It is a better detour from traditional exercise for many reasons

One of the primary appeals of exercise snacking is its flexibility. Unlike traditional workouts that require blocks of time set aside for the gym or exercise classes, exercise snacking fits seamlessly into a busy schedule. Whether you’re a parent juggling household responsibilities, a professional with a demanding job, or someone who travels frequently, exercise snacking offers a practical way to prioritize fitness without disrupting your daily routine.

Do you spend your day sitting for longer hours?

Exercise snacking workout concept aligns with current research highlighting the benefits of breaking up sedentary behavior throughout the day. Prolonged sitting has been linked to various health risks, including obesity, cardiovascular disease, and metabolic disorders. By incorporating short bursts of activity, exercise snacking helps counteract the negative effects of prolonged sitting by promoting blood flow, improving circulation, and boosting metabolism.

Beyond physical health benefits, exercise snacking can also positively impact mental well-being. Each mini-session of exercise releases endorphins—natural mood elevators—that can reduce stress, improve cognitive function, and enhance overall mental clarity. This can be especially beneficial during busy or stressful periods, offering a quick and effective way to refresh both body and mind.

It is highly inclusive and suitable for all age groups

The accessibility of exercise snacking makes it inclusive and suitable for individuals of all fitness levels. Whether you’re new to exercise or an experienced athlete, you can tailor exercise snacking to your own abilities and preferences. It allows you to start small and gradually increase intensity and duration as your fitness improves, creating a sustainable approach to long-term health and fitness goals.

Another compelling aspect of exercise snacking is its versatility in terms of the types of activities you can incorporate. From bodyweight exercises like push-ups and lunges to aerobic activities such as jumping jacks or stair climbing, the options are endless. This variety not only keeps your workouts interesting but also targets different muscle groups and promotes overall functional fitness.

The only rule is to have small bouts of any form of exercise

For those who struggle with motivation or find traditional exercise routines daunting, exercise snacking offers a refreshing alternative. By breaking down physical activity into manageable chunks, it removes barriers to getting started and fosters a positive relationship with exercise. Rather than viewing fitness as a daunting task, exercise snacking encourages a mindset of consistency and enjoyment in staying active throughout the day.
From a physiological standpoint, the benefits of exercise snacking extend beyond immediate calorie burning. Studies suggest that breaking up sedentary time with brief bouts of exercise can improve insulin sensitivity, reduce inflammation, and enhance cardiovascular health markers. These metabolic improvements contribute to long-term health benefits and may lower the risk of chronic diseases such as type 2 diabetes and heart disease.

As with any fitness regimen, consistency is key to reaping the benefits of exercise snacking. By making it a habit to incorporate short bursts of activity into your daily routine, you can gradually build strength, endurance, and resilience. Over time, you may find yourself naturally seeking out opportunities to move more throughout the day, whether it’s opting for the stairs instead of the elevator or stretching during a work break.

SALT LAKE CITY — The National Institutes of Health noted in a recent study that nearly a quarter of all adults worldwide are inactive, meaning they just don’t move enough or get any exercise.

Salt Lake County likes to highlight great programs to help senior citizens with better mental and physical health.

“Exercise helps every system in the body,” said Paige Corley, a health educator.

The physical benefits of exercise can’t be overstated. But the mental fitness that’s so important as we age is one of the best side effects of EnhanceFitness – just one of many programs Salt Lake County Aging and Adult Services provides up and down the Wasatch Front.

“You can be just at the beginning of your fitness journey and maybe you need to sit for most of the class. That’s OK, we can accommodate you. Or maybe you’re really fit and you just want to continue that journey with the older adult community and we can accommodate you as well.”

Corley hopes that those who feel they’re headed toward the sunset of their careers into the new dawn of retirement don’t just sit around. There’s still work to be done.

“Life is heavy — I always say that to people,” she said. “Life is heavy. So if you want to stay in your home and stay independent, you need to have muscle on your body.”

The only way to get that muscle is to move, lift weights, and throw in some cardio, then you’re on your way to better bone density, disease prevention and overall strength.

“Even if you don’t love exercise, just coming in and being around other people… come in and just move your body a little bit… but share a laugh with somebody else,” Corley said. “Share an experience with somebody else.”

If you’re over 60 and you’d like to join in, most classes run Monday, Wednesday and Friday. And most senior centers like River’s Bend are open 7 a.m. to 4 p.m.

Check the Salt Lake County Aging and Adult Services website to learn more.

All of us can benefit from focused training that includes both aerobic and anaerobic activities – but what’s the difference between the two?

Kaylan Keathley, ISSA Master Trainer and NASM Certified Personal Trainer at Vero Fitness, explains, “Aerobic training increases your capacity to utilize oxygen and burn fatty acids during exercise through what is known as the oxidative energy pathway.

“Aerobic training can maximize your body’s oxidative capacity within muscle fibers, increase your aerobic capacity depending on your genetics, increase utilization and mobilization of fat, increase blood flow, and increase development of your slow twitch muscles fibers, among others.”

She adds, “Anaerobic activities, as the name suggests, require no oxygen for energy.” The main purpose of anaerobic training is to build muscle mass.

In simple terms, Keathley says to think of aerobic activities as endurance activities that raise your rate of respiration and last more than two minutes while anaerobic activities involve short bursts of intense power.

Web MD gives examples of aerobic exercise:

• Running or jogging
• Biking
• Swimming
• Walking
• Hiking
• Rollerblading
• Cardio machines, like a treadmill or elliptical machine
• Stair climbing
• Rowing
• Dancing
• Skiing
• Jumping rope
• Playing sports like tennis, pickleball, basketball, soccer, hockey and volleyball.

Examples of anaerobic exercises include:

• High-intensity interval training (HIIT)
• Weightlifting
• Calisthenics, such as pushups and squats
• Plyometrics (jump training)

Aerobic activity tends to dominate exercise guidelines for overall health and fitness. The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services’ Physical Activity Guidelines for Americans specifies 150 minutes of moderate-intensity aerobic exercise as the minimum amount all adults should aim for every week.

But that doesn’t mean you should forget about anaerobic exercise. This form of exercise offers unique health benefits, making it an essential component of a well-rounded fitness routine.

Medical News Today explains that the two types of exercise are distinguished by how the body uses stored energy; the intensity of the exercise; and the length of time a person can maintain the exercise.

Aerobic exercise helps increase endurance, whereas anaerobic exercise helps increase muscle mass and strength.

Both types of exercise strengthen the heart muscle, boost circulation, increase metabolism and aid in weight management.

Keathley says, “Capacity and efficiency of aerobic and anaerobic activities and the physiological benefits of these activities is based more on your genetics than age, gender, or even current fitness level.

“Understanding the blueprint of how your specific body was designed can help massively increase your training potential and results while minimizing frustration and confusion.”

The benefits of aerobic exercise include:

• Reduced risk of chronic illness: Routine exercise, including aerobics, reduces your risk of cardiovascular diseases such as heart disease, stroke and high blood pressure. It also lowers your risk of chronic diseases like type 2 diabetes and some cancers.
• Less stress: A heart-pumping cardio routine can also help lower your stress levels.
• Weight management: Regular physical activity, including aerobics, can help you maintain a healthy body weight.
• Better sleep: People who exercise regularly tend to fall asleep faster and sleep more soundly. And research shows that regular aerobic activity can improve sleep quality in people with insomnia symptoms.
  These benefits apply to anaerobic exercise, as well, and there are also others that are unique to anaerobic:
• Better VO2 max: VO2 max is the maximum amount of oxygen your body uses for energy during intense exercise. It measures your cardiorespiratory fitness, which is essential for endurance. And studies show that HIIT (high intensity interval training) may be better at improving VO2 max than moderate, steady-state exercise.
• Shorter workouts: Ongoing research suggests that HIIT is an effective way to boost your health in a short amount of time. One study found that as little as three weekly HIIT sessions (10 minutes or less per session) may improve aerobic capacity and endurance.
• More muscle power: For people looking to make athletic improvements – like swinging a bat harder or running faster – anaerobic exercise can help. Generally, anaerobic training increases muscle power for athletes.

Keathley suggests that if you’re just starting out – or want to maximize your exercise program – working with a professional is beneficial. Among other things, you’ll get an initial fitness assessment to determine where and what your “weak spots” are and how training should be programmed to “bridge the gaps.”

“There are thousands of fantastic exercises, sports and workout regimes today. The trick is pairing the correct exercises with the body you have with the goals you hope to achieve,” she says.

Kaylyn Keathley is ISSA Master Trainer, NASM Certified Personal Trainer and executive director of Vero Fitness’ IDLife Program. She has worked full time as a personal trainer since 2013. She also offers DNA-based training, nutrition, and supplementation coaching. Vero Fitness is located at 1060 6th Ave. The phone number is 772-567-1400.