Let me tell you about the healthiest type of snacking there is: Exercise Snacking! Free, accessible, easy and quick to build into your everyday lives.
Rather than doing 30/60 minutes of exercise all in one go, you can break it into smaller “snacks”, which have the same health benefits. Think of them as a treat for your body and mind!
My complete Feel Good Health prescription covers the Aerobic/Cardio Vascular Training, Strength/Resistance Training, Stretch and Mobility exercise snacks.
Exercise Snacking benefits were first outlined in a 2014 study published in the ‘Journal Diabetologia’, which found that “dosing exercise as brief, intense exercise snacks before a main meals is a time efficient and effective approach to improve glycaemic control for individuals with insulin resistance”.
Studies show that exercise snacks/small bursts can lead to a 40 per cent reduction in blood sugar and blood fat levels.
Exercise snacking could trump a single 30-minute session as it encourages regular movement throughout the day and is less likely to result in long amounts of time sitting, that are linked to slow metabolism, poor blood sugar control and a decrease in the body’s ability to effectively break down fat.
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My free “Exercise Snacks” prove that even a 5/10 minute workout can boost your physical and mental health. I encourage you to do “bitesize” amounts of movement throughout the day and then build up to eventually hit the NHS and government’s exercise guidelines for optimum health.
For example, I have “HIIT snacks” – short bursts of intense training provide maximum release of the human growth hormone (which starts to decline once we hit our 30s and when we start to lose 1lb of muscle a year). HIIT is also very effective at targeting the dangerous visceral fat, burns lots of calories, can give a great after burn and boosts your metabolism from 2-48 hours after training, is a great mood booster and even aids sleep.
My “Strength Snacks” are especially important as we experience a loss of muscle and bone density with ageing and even more for women with the drop in oestrogen that occurs around the menopause. Strength training & lifting weights burns fat and builds muscle and I am extremely passionate about it as this has what has transformed my own body. Strength and resistance training is also a fantastic anti-depressant!
I also have Mobility, Cardio, Stretch, Core, Glutes, Legs, Upper body and even Breath Snacks on my IGTV. For all of us leading busy lives, exercise snacking is quick, easy, fun and time efficient.
I hope you can snack on exercise with me.
Combine some of my snacks and make a meal of it!
Lavina Mehta MBE is an award-winning personal trainer and wellness coach. In her regular Feel Good series with ‘iGlobal’, she shares stories from her journey into fitness, workout tips and announcements about her upcoming online sessions.
*More Info: Free Exercise Snacks & 21 Day Feel Good Workout Plan here on Instagram TV.