Don't have time to work out? ‘Activity snacking’ could be the key

Virgin Radio

25 Apr 2023, 16:12

If your schedule is jam-packed and the thought of fitting in a run or gym session already brings you out in a sweat, this new trend could be for you.

Dubbed 'activity snacking', getting your exercise in smaller amounts is being hailed as a way of beating several chronic conditions and improving your health.

It involves breaking the required amount of exercise down into smaller amounts, and it has been found to be beneficial for those with type 1 diabetes.

Scientists from the University of Sunderland found that short bursts of activity could help with managing sugar levels. It was also found to reduce the risk of complications associated with diabetes.

This includes heart attacks and strokes.

Neil Gibson is a senior physical activity advisor at Diabetes UK.

He told Metro: "Adding small challenges or goals can help with motivation and remind you to do it. Activities can be done at home, at work or when you travel."

"For example, you could do different physical movements, such as jogging on the spot during TV adverts or chair-based exercises if mobility is an issue."

He said: "Just about any activity that gets you up and moving can be an activity snack".

He adds: "Dancing to the radio or music is also another great way to activity snack as it can be combined with housework or gardening.

"Options whilst you are at work could be standing at your desk, then adding squats or other movements, arranging walk and talk meetings, moving whilst on the phone or finding a safe spot where you could do a brisk walk along the corridors.

"Activity snacking ideas whilst travelling could be to park in a car park further away than usual or try getting off public transport a stop earlier and walk the rest of the journey."

The findings are yet to be peer-reviewed, but involved 32 participants being monitored over a two-week period.

Dr Matthew Campbell is the principal investigator in cardiovascular and metabolic medicine at the University of Sunderland.

He says: "These results provide the first piece of evidence that simply breaking up prolonged periods of time sitting with light-intensity activity can increase the amount of time spent with blood sugar levels in the target range.

"Importantly, this strategy does not seem to increase the risk of potentially dangerous blood glucose lows which are a common occurrence with more traditional types of physical activity and exercise.’

Participants were were ask to take part in two seven-hour sitting sessions.

For one session they remained seated for the full seven hours.

In the other session, they did three-minute sessions of walking every 30 minutes.

Blood sugar levels were monitored throughout, and they were given a set breakfast and lunch.

The walking breaks resulted in lower average blood sugar levels (6.9mmol/L) over 48 hours, compared with uninterrupted sitting (8.2mmol/L).

Dr Elizabeth Robertson, director of research at Diabetes UK said: "Breaking up sitting time with short bursts of activity offers a cost-free way to help people with type 1 diabetes manage their blood sugar levels and potentially reduce their risk of future complications.

"We look forward to further research to understand the long-term benefits of this approach."

Maybe get up for a walk around more often while working.