"Exercise Snacking" Is Trending, but Is It Effective? I Tried It For 2 Weeks

Lately, my elder millennial body's been feeling extra . . . elderly. My back's achy, my knees make these weird creaky sounds. I could blame my age, but it's not just that: I had a second baby last fall, then signed up for a half marathon this spring, so the only exercise I've made time for recently is running. As helpful as that might be for my cardio fitness, it hasn't done my strength or mobility any favors. Plus, it's left me feeling like the Tin Man. So when Popsugar reached out to see if I'd be interested in experimenting with "exercise snacks" for a couple of weeks, I signed right up. The buzzy approach — sometimes referred to as a way of "microdosing" fitness — involves doing shorter mini-workouts more often. That might look like a minute of squat jumps or a 10-minute Pilates session. The strategy is trending among fitfluencers since it can break up long periods of sitting and make exercise feel way less intimidating — anyone can work out for a minute, right? A whole host of research shows that even short bursts of movement can be an effective way to boost cardiovascular health, insulin sensitivity, and muscle strength. I drew up a plan: I'd work in two to three strength or mobility–focused exercise snacks per day, anywhere from one to 10 minutes long. It could be when my 6-month-old was babbling to himself on the floor, as I was waiting for my coffee to brew, or just craving a break from my computer. Experts Featured in This Article Rachelle Reed, PhD, is an exercise physiologist and the head of scientific research and ccience communication at Therabody. Thanks to a stroke of lucky timing, I found myself on a phone call with exercise physiologist Rachelle Reed, PhD, on my first day of the experiment. I asked for her advice on how to make sure these short bursts would actually do something useful, and she told me the way to be super efficient is to go hard. Think: vigorous stair climbing rather than a leisurely stroll, or heavy weights versus a pair I could lift 30 reps with. In particular, she recommended compound exercises to get a whole bunch of muscles firing quickly. "If you're doing a squat to an overhead press for a minute, I mean, woof, talk about being gassed," she said. With that in mind, I came up with a list of eight strength exercises, mostly compound moves that focused on the running muscles I wanted to target (hamstrings, quads, glutes, calves, and core) but would still build well-rounded strength throughout my body. I also wrote down a handful of plyometric jumps I wanted to do regularly since I knew they could help increase my running power. With these go-tos, I could quickly dive right into a mini workout without having to waste time deciding what to do. For mobility, I kept things looser. Instead of a set list of exercises, I just aimed for a few minutes of feel-good, stretchy, gentle yoga-like movement each morning — whatever my body was craving — to take stock of how I was feeling and work out any tightness. The result? Let me start with what I loved: This strategy made it so that a lack of time was simply no excuse not to work out. Even on my busiest days, I could always find 60 seconds to pop down into a plank or do some squat jumps (albeit while holding my boobs in lieu of changing into a sports bra). And I got some real results. I was honestly shocked by just how sore I could end up from only a few minutes of movement at a time. As long as I was challenging myself just as much as I would during a normal workout, splitting up exercises throughout the week still meant I was strengthening my muscles. (Not to brag or anything, but in just two weeks, I built up enough upper body strength that I can now do more push-ups in a row than ever before!) Even better, my joints weren't feeling quite so worn out and achy after running. While I can't say I fixed my back pain, it stopped bothering me quite so much. That said, exercise snacking wasn't the magic remedy for my lopsided fitness that I'd hoped it would be. For starters, I quickly realized that when I didn't plan out a chunk of time to work out like I normally would, it was all too easy to forget to do it — even as someone who generally likes to exercise. On the second day of the experiment, I did my five minutes of stretchy mobility work since I'd made it a natural part of my morning routine while drinking my first cup of coffee and playing with my baby on the floor. But at the end of the day I realized I'd totally forgotten to do any strength exercises. The next day, it was 7:13 p.m. before I remembered to do one. I'd assumed I'd naturally work tidbits of exercise into my day when I could, but I learned that if I didn't schedule the activity — yes, even just a minute — or pair it with another habit, it wouldn't happen. Also, I found I was more likely to half-ass things during my snacks than I would during a longer workout. I'd sometimes get through part of a set, then get distracted by something else I needed to do. Without an outfit change, a proper warm-up, or a dedicated chunk of time, it was harder for me to lock in mentally. Then again, when I was in the right mood, snacking on movement was just like snacking on Pringles: Once I popped, I couldn't stop. I'd get into a groove, and keep doing more and more exercises just because I enjoyed the way it made my body feel. I'd tell myself I was just going to try a couple sets of Bulgarian split squats, but then I'd add in pogo hops and push-ups. Later, I'd find myself doing calf raises while washing dishes or getting into a side plank while my husband was telling a never-ending story. Will I keep snacking? I definitely plan to continue starting my day with some gentle wake-up stretches and mobility work. A few minutes of cat-cows and downward dogs is a really nice, low-key way to help my body feel better and get in a little "win" for the day first thing in the morning. But when it comes to strength microdoses, for me, they feel more like a backup plan during hectic weeks than a long-term strategy. I ended up working out about the same amount of time through "snacking" as I would if I'd done two 20–30 minute strength sessions per week. Yet I feel like I get more — mentally and physically — out of setting aside a chunk of time to commit to working out without feeling like I'm just multitasking my day away. When I only exercise for a minute or two, I don't get that same sense of accomplishment and physical release. And I never feel "done." Even if I've already completed a couple exercise snacks in a day, who's to say I can't fit in another? Still, during periods of life, like now, when I can't get in a full meal-sized workout regularly, having a few snacks is a great way to tide me over. 49477030 Jennifer Heimlich is a writer and editor with more than 15 years of experience in fitness and wellness journalism. She previously worked as the senior fitness editor for Well+Good and the editor in chief of Dance Magazine. A UESCA-certified running coach, she's written about running and fitness for publications like Shape, GQ, Runner's World, and The Atlantic.