Two Minutes to Fitness

Gretchen Reynolds, veteran New York Times health columnist who now writes for the Washington Post, calls them “snacks.” They are, in her words, “brief spurts of exertion spread throughout the day, (that) can improve metabolic health, raise endurance and stave off some of the undesirable changes in our muscles that otherwise occur when we sit too long.” Reynolds cites a recent study that found that the benefits of activity snacks can rival those of much longer sessions of brisk walking or other, traditional workouts. Another study, conducted in 2019, found that college students who climbed three flights of stairs three times a day (and did not otherwise work out) saw significant improvement in leg strength in just six weeks. Yet another study (yes, there are several) found that one minute of intense pedaling on a stationary bike every few hours yielded benefits similar to a single ten minute interval workout on the same apparatus. The bottom line: several brief (really brief) exertions can deliver big (really big) payoffs. Read more in the Washington Post.