No time for gym? How 'exercise snacking' fit help you keep fit
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- Author, Lucy Hooker
- Read am in 5 mins
Join di gym, run up di mountain, sign up for spin class. Dem dey always tell us make we go to great lengths – and get sweaty – to keep fit.
But what if you no get time or feel am?
Jo Blodgett get di answer: activity 'snacks' wey you fit easily add for your daily schedule.
Blodgett na senior research fellow for Institute of Sport, Exercise and Health for University College London, she don study di way small bursts of action fit help your health.
High intensity exercise – to dey catch breath, dey raise heartbeat – dey beneficial, but e only be part of di picture, she tell BBC Radio Four podcast What's Up Doc?
For here she explain how you fit dey fitter without special outfit or gym membership.
1. Do small small activity during di day
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Plenty ways dey wey you fit add 'exercise snacks' into your day, Blodgett tok.
Officially she dey call am 'vigorous intermittent lifestyle physical activity' or 'VILPA' - essentially, briefly e dey increase your effort during routine activities.
End of Di one wey oda users dey read well well
"Na to find opportunities for your daily life wey go push you small a little bit more," she tok.
She suggest:
- Take stairs instead of lift - no need to climb reach 12th floor, just climb two floors den enta lift.
- Get off di bus early – cycling to work dey great, but if need dey to take di bus, just get off and waka to di last stop before you final stop fast-fast. No need for lycra.
- Picking up your speed – you fit already don go for walks, try to speed up between two lamp posts.
Fortunately, if you no dey move much, just add three or four short intense moves, wey go last one or two minutes each, e fit make big difference for heart disease and life expectancy.
2. No rely on few gym sessions
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If you don already manage to fit regular gym workout or play football once per week, you fit stop to dey feel say dat na di all for now.
Plenty of us na wetin Blodgett dey call "active couch potatoes".
Of course dose activities "na good tin", she tok but e no fit make up for sitting all day for work, dey stare at di screen or dey slouch for couch for evening.
"Thirty minutes for gym na just tiny part", she tok. "What about di oda 23-and-a-half hours?"
If na you, she advise:
- Standing up - dey get up from your desk regularly
- Go for walk - use half of your lunchtime for leg stretch instead of to dey look your phone
- Meetings on di go - tink West Wing, walk and tok. Dis dey work for plenty phone meetings too.
Di evidence suggest say sitting only for very short periods na di best.
"Every 15, 30 minutes, you fit stand up, shake your body, den sit down." Blodgett tok.
Dis no mean say you go quit di gym.
Hierarchy still dey, wit higher intensity activity, wey dey raise di heart rate, still offering di biggest fitness and health gains, followed by moderate activity such as walking, Blodgett tok
3. Reduce di time you no dey move
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Health guideline tend to focus more on how much serious exercise you suppose dey do.
Blodgett suggest say make we flip am and see how we fit reduce di time we no dey move.
Some kontris like Canada and Australia don start to use dis message. If you dey sleep for eight hours, at least half of di time you dey wake - eight hours - you suppose spend am on moving. Blodgett tok:
- Keep moving - try make e no pass eight hours wey you dey sit down for one place. Di more you fit reduce am, e go beta.
- Make small pikin dey free - Australia dey advise say small pikin no suppose dey inside pushchair or car seat pass one hour. For rainy days, try dey play wit balloons for inside house.
- Do daily chores - Carrying groceries, pushing lawnmower, and tidying di house na ways to keep you moving and help wit strength and balance.
No golden rule of how much dey enough, Blodgett tok. Di more you dey move, di beta.
