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.
This is the world’s best stretch. It loosens up every single joint and muscle in the body and helps alleviate pain and stiffness. It is great for flexibility and strengthening and could be performed first thing in the morning, or during the day to break up prolonged periods of sitting. One repetition should take around 45 seconds, or do three repetitions, which will take around three minutes.
Balance is key. It builds our core and bone strength, helps with coordination and keeps our brains fit. Studies suggest that people who can balance on one leg for 10 seconds are more likely to live longer. Combine this exercise with brushing your teeth, so it becomes part of your routine.
Walking up three flights of stairs three times a day has been shown to improve your cardiovascular health, aerobic fitness and the strength of your legs. As it’s backed by science, walk up and down the stairs when at home, always opt for the stairs instead of the lift and walk whenever you’re on an escalator instead of standing still.
We’re all vulnerable to suffering from postural problems and “tech neck” from spending too much of our time hunched over our desk or slumped on the sofa. To counteract this, I came up with the “desk reset”. The movement reverses the rounding of the spine, improves posture and hopefully boosts confidence as well because it makes you sit a bit taller – and it only takes seconds.
You can perform this exercise with dumbbells if you have them, or you could even use water bottles or tin cans. Squeeze this in while you’re on a call or virtual work meeting (seated with the camera off). This strengthens our upper body and the calves and is a great alternative to going for a walk, if you’re stuck at your desk.
You can build your upper body strength while sitting on the sofa through this exercise, which can also help with back and neck pain. Additionally, having more muscle puts you in a better position for weight management, as muscle is metabolically active – meaning it increases the number of calories we burn each day.
This is a hidden move that no one will even know you’re doing under the dinner table. You should feel your quadriceps engaging and it’s a really good move for knee pain, as it strengthens the muscles around the joint.
Everytime I boil the kettle for a cup of tea or coffee, I do press ups against the counter surface. It’s a great example of a daily activity where you’re usually idle but can easily piggyback with exercise – you don’t even need to carve out any time. You could throw in some squats or star jumps as well. These elevated press-ups are much more accessible that doing them on the floor.
Punch all your worries away while walking, jogging or sprinting on the spot. This is great for cardiovascular health, so benefits your heart and lungs. Boxing is also the best stress reliever – it gets rids of all of your tension.
This pose drains all of the tension from your legs and improves blood flow while you relax on your bed or the floor with your legs against a wall. Additionally, studies have shown that this move encourages a better night’s sleep.
As told to Emily Craig
Lavina Mehta MBE is a fitness expert and author of The Feel Good Fix
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