Can’t Face an Entire Workout? Try Exercise Snacks Instead.

We all work hard to be consistent with our exercise. But sometimes you just can’t face doing an entire workout. Even if it is your favorite yoga workout or something you generally enjoy, there are times when you just can’t make yourself do it.

So, does that mean you should just skip that workout, deal with the inevitable guilt afterwards and forget about it?

Not necessarily. There may be an easy solution.

What is it?

Exercise snacks.

I can’t remember if I first heard about this idea from Andrew Huberman on his Huberman Lab podcast or from MindPump’s podcast or somewhere else, but it is a fantastic idea.

What is an “Exercise Snack”?

Essentially, the idea is, when you don’t have time to do a full workout or you just can’t make yourself to do it, to consider doing something small and easy instead.

For example, you could just do 3 sets of shoulder press or deadlifts and be done with it. Or you could do 20 pushups before you walk the dog and another set later. You get the idea. It’s just a little bit of exercise sprinkled throughout the day instead of one long workout.

It really doesn’t’ matter what you do, it just matters that you do something. Exercise snacks can look like doing a little something (for example, 1 or 2 sets of an exercise) several times throughout the day.

One study that looked at the efficacy of “exercise snacks” used vigorous stair climbing as the exercise to be done throughout the day.  The results of the study showed that doing short but intense bouts of exercise throughout the day were effective at improving CFR or cardio flow reserve. Experts agree that doing short but intense bouts of exercise throughout the day can have significant health benefits.

Doing shorter exercise bouts once or twice during the day can not only help you be consistent with working out — even when you don’t want to — they have been shown to reduce stress and improve your mood.

So the next time you don’t “feel like working out” try a snack instead. Do something short and intense or do a little lifting spread out over your day — but do something!

Sometimes, it’s the little things that count the most.

And don’t forget: if you need some help, I’m here for you. 

Transform Your Life and Your Body. Life and Lifting Starts Now.

At Strength & Balance for Seniors, I help women over 50 transform their lives and bodies one rep at a time. I work with clients one-on-one and provide the individualized attention you need to reach your fitness, health, and longevity goals.

I offer virtual Personal Training via Zoom, as well as in-person Personal Training to select clients in the Bay Area.  Connect with me here or over on Facebook.