‘Fitness Snacking’ is your new bite at a healthier life

By MiNDFOOD

‘Fitness Snacking’ is your new bite at a healthier life

Don’t get too excited, snack lovers – this fitness regime doesn’t involve eating while working out. But it does promise a fitness programme that will fit in with your busy schedule.

Contrary to its name ‘fitness snacking’ doesn’t have anything to do with munching on food while working out. Instead, it’s a term used to describe short periods of exercise done throughout the day, instead of an hour-long workout.

The idea of fitness snacking originally caught on in early 2017, but has seen a resurgence in popularity recently thanks to the endorsement of high profile trainers. One of its biggest advocates is the UK’s self-professed leading trainer Matt Roberts, the man behind bodies such as Naomi Campbell and Tom Ford.

“[Fitness snacking] involves short periods of exercise dotted throughout the day, rather than doing it all in one go,” Roberts explains to The Telegraph’s Stella Magazine in the UK. Roberts says that just like you would have several pick-me-up snacks throughout the day, those of us who are sedentary but too busy to fit in that hour-long workout in the morning or evening should break their workout into bite-sized portions – and score yourself for each portion.

Set yourself a score target for each day, and aim to hit this.

The fitness expert said that not enough people get the daily exercise they need, and fitness snacking is an approach that helps folks incorporate physical activity in a manageable way.

Roberts says that the best way to kickstart your fitness snacking routine, is with a high-intensity workout – even if it only takes 10 minutes.

Other fitness snack ideas include:

  • A 30-minute walk with the dog = 3 points
  • 30 burpees before your first cup of coffee = 3 points
  • A run-up and down the stairs at work during your lunch break = 2 points
  • A 20-minute yoga class = 2 points

While “fitness snacking” may be a trendy term, the idea behind incorporating exercise into your day is advice backed up by science. Exercise not only has physical health benefits but can also improve your mental health – even if done in short bursts.

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