Regular exercise is essential for maintaining good health and preventing many chronic diseases. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, physical activity can reduce the risk of developing conditions, such as heart disease, stroke, type 2 diabetes, and some types of cancer. Exercise can also help manage chronic health conditions like high blood pressure and osteoarthritis.
Despite these well-known benefits, many people need help incorporating exercise into their busy lives. Finding the time to prioritize training can be challenging between work, family responsibilities, and other commitments. Additionally, many individuals may feel overwhelmed or intimidated by starting an exercise program, leading to inactivity and a sedentary lifestyle. This can create more frustration and even less motivation.
However, the reality is that even small amounts of exercise can have significant health benefits. Research has shown that even short bouts of daily activity can improve cardiovascular health, reduce the risk of chronic diseases, and improve overall fitness levels. This is where the concept of exercise snacks comes into play, as trademarked by Nike Master trainer Joe Holder. It offers a way for individuals to fit physical activity into their busy lives in a practical and achievable way.
Nike Master Trainer Joe Holder
Joe Holder is a certified personal trainer and performance coach with over 10 years of experience in the fitness industry. He is also a nutrition expert and holistic wellness coach, profoundly understanding the connection between physical activity, nutrition, and overall well-being. Holder’s approach to
According to Holder, “exercise snacks” are short, intense workouts designed to be done in a limited amount of time, making them easy to fit into a busy day. As he explains on sakara.com, exercise snacking is “a process of breaking up exercise into intermittent movement breaks.” The idea is to move more frequently throughout the day rather than relying solely on longer workouts to achieve fitness goals. This approach is based on the understanding that a sedentary lifestyle can significantly negatively impact our health, and incorporating more movement into our daily routine can help mitigate these risks.
What are exercise snacks?
Exercise snacks can take many forms, from quick cardio bursts to targeted strength training exercises. Examples include total body workouts, mobility exercises, core-focused routines, and quick cardio sessions. According to the Well+Good interview with Holder, he suggests that “incorporating just five to ten minutes of movement into your day at regular intervals can make a significant difference in your overall health and fitness.”
Incorporating these movement periods throughout the day can be a great way to build fitness and self-confidence for those new to exercise. Simply walking first thing in the morning and again in the evening is excellent for newbies. More experienced individuals can use exercise snacks to maintain
Holder came up with the idea of exercise snacks to help people incorporate fitness into their busy lives. He further explains, “Exercise snacks are short and intense workouts designed to be done in a limited amount of time, so you can easily fit them into your day.” You can do short workouts anytime, anywhere, making it easier to stay active. A key note is that you can also do them multiple times daily.
Benefits of exercise snacks
Exercise snacks can come in various forms, depending on your goals. Some examples include total body, mobility, cardio, and core snacks. Regardless of what type of routine you choose, they offer great health benefits.
- Total body exercises work multiple muscle groups at once, making them an efficient way to get a full-body workout quickly.
- Mobility exercises focus on improving joint mobility and flexibility, which can help reduce the risk of injury.
- Cardio exercises, such as jumping jacks or running in place, can help increase your heart rate and improve cardiovascular health.
- Core exercises like planks or situps can help strengthen your core muscles, improving posture and balance.
How-to: Exercise snacks and workout examples
Now that you understand the philosophy and are ready to try some out, let’s show you exactly what they look like on paper.
Total body – 10-minute H.I.I.T. workout
Set a timer for 10 minutes. Perform each exercise hard for 20 seconds. Rest for 20 seconds. Repeat until the timer goes off and you’ve completed all exercises.
For an additional challenge: Perform boxers bounce during rest periods to keep heart rate elevated
- Shake it out – boxer’s bounce (warmup)
- High-knees – x2
- Side-to-side skaters – x2
- Burpees – x2
- Jumping jacks – x2
- High jump knee tucks – x2
- Mountain climbers – x2
- 1-minute cool down – Perform breath work
Mobility – 5-minute morning tissue floss
A 5-minute morning routine combines dynamic movement and a little stretching to help you wake up. This is suitable for all skill levels! Perform each movement for 6 repetitions.
- Shake it out – Focus on breath work (warmup)
- Left hip opener pivots
- Right hip opener pivots
- Left high knee to side leg swing
- Right high knee to side leg swing
- Backbend to torso circle
- Right and left chest opener – Bow draws
- Flamingos – left and right leg
- Shake it out (10 seconds)
- Total body pivots
Core snack – mini four-exercise core workout
An icon in the fashion world, Naomi Campbell has been working with Holder for years. This is a routine he has performed with Campbell. If it works for her, it will surely work for you.
For each exercise, focus on slow and controlled movement. Hold each contracted position for 2 seconds.
- Alternating plank “crunch” – 20 repetition
- Alternating plank “cross crunch” – 20 repetitions
- Alternating quadruped lift to back step – 15 repetitions
- Alternating quadruped lift to back step to knee taps – 15 repetitions
Bite-sized fitness
Exercise doesn’t need to be overcomplicated or over 90 minutes in order to be effective in one’s life. These exercise snacks can be completed in mere minutes, and when done on a consistent basis, will pay dividends in the long run. As Holder likes to say, “Make movement a movement,” and we agree. Our bodies are made for movement, so let’s get them moving while having fun at the same time with mini snack-like bouts of fitness.
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