We all know that exercise is good for us, we’ve heard it countless times before. Many of us have started all sorts of well-meaning exercise routines only to fall to the wayside after the first month (or shortly thereafter). The will may be there but the follow-through wavers.
Creating an exercise habit can be overwhelmingly difficult. Most of us lead busy hectic lives and carving out a whole 30 minutes each day isn’t’ always doable. I think that’s why I enjoyed reading what endocrinologist, Shirisha Avadhanula, MD had to say on the topic:
“If you’re just starting out, it can be intimidating to hear that you need to exercise for 30 mins a day,” she said. Dr Avadhanula goes on to explain the benefits of something she likes to call, ‘exercise snacks’.
“An ‘exercise snack’ is 15 mins of exercise twice a day during the weekdays. Say, for example, that you have a desk job and get an hour for lunch. You can take the last 15 minutes of your lunch break to do moderate-intensity exercise, then do the same thing again at the end of the workday.”
These ‘exercise snacks’ can be any form of movement that help to raise your heart rate a little like going on a bike ride or a brisk walk, dancing on the spot, even trimming the grass can give you a cardio boost. Consistency is key as regular exercise supports all kinds of health benefits including lowering your risk of stroke, heart disease and Type 2 diabetes, to mention but a few.
“Doing little bursts of physical activity throughout the day can make a big impact on your overall health,” says Dr. Avadhanula. In other words, a snack or two a day, keeps the doctor at bay..!
