April A – Exercise Snacks

ARTICLES

Exercise Snacks: A Novel Strategy to Improve Cardiometabolic Health

Islam, Hashim1; Gibala, Martin J.2; Little, Jonathan P.1

Author Information
Exercise and Sport Sciences Reviews 50(1):p 31-37, January 2022. | DOI: 10.1249/JES.0000000000000275


We define exercise snacks as isolated ≤1-min bouts of vigorous exercise performed periodically throughout the day. We hypothesize that exercise snacks are a feasible, well-tolerated, and time-efficient approach to improve cardiorespiratory fitness and reduce the negative impact of sedentary behavior on cardiometabolic health. Efficacy has been demonstrated in small proof-of-concept studies. Additional research should investigate this novel physical activity strategy.