Snacking... The New Workout That's WFH-Friendly (& Easy)

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When someone says snacking, we immediately think Hot-Cheetos, Oreos, or if we’re feeling healthy, apples dipped in peanut butter. One thing that doesn’t spring to mind is fitness. However, the new fitness trend – somewhat confusingly – named snacking essentially encourages short bursts of exercises throughout the day.

During the current climate, this actually makes total sense. Now that we’re staying at home, our daily steps have plummeted, and this achievable workout will get your booty moving, without you having to leave the vicinity of your home. Here’s everything you need to know about this cheeky new workout trend…

What is Snacking?

Snacking, just like a traditional bite-sized snack in between more substantial meals, means doing short bursts (think 5 mins) of exercise throughout the day. It can involve anything from burpees, squats, jump rope, or even climbing the stairs – as long as it elevates your heart rate. Personally, our go-to is turning up some Cardi B and having a dance party in our kitchen for one or two songs!

Is Snacking an Effective Form of Exercise? 

Snacking is backed by a recent study that showed those who fit exercise snacks into their day (by climbing 60 stairs as fast as possible, taking about 20 seconds), improved their aerobic fitness by around 5%. According to Dubai-based personal trainer Nic Cornelis, it’ll help you to “Feel better, reload your energy levels and sharpen your focus, which could increase productivity throughout the day.” Especially, if you’re working from home, as Nic reminds us: we’re not supposed to spend 10hrs a day sitting at a desk… Or on the couch. Plus, if breaking your workout into three, fifteen-minute bite-sized chunks feels more manageable to you, then it’s a great solution – just make sure you’re consistent and slot in that last 15-minute session. Nic also notes it may even prevent you from actually snacking!

In short: it’s the perfect new lockdown habit as it’ll elevate your heart rate, improve cognitive function, and help release serotonin (the happy hormone) to boost your mood.

However, Nic does warn that it’s probably not going to be as effective as a regular workout in terms of weight loss and gaining cardiovascular fitness or strength. If your aim is to increase your fitness levels, he suggests a one-hour workout as it’ll have a greater impact in a shorter period of time.

Snacking Workouts Ideas

If you want to try “snacking” at home, Nic recommends tackling the stairs…

• Beginner level: “I would keep it simple with walking up and down the stairs plus a bodyweight squat at each level.”
• Intermediate level: “Climb the stairs and alternate between bodyweight squats and high knees jumps at each level.”
• Advanced level: “Run up and down the stairs with five burpees at each level.”

If you don’t have access to stairs, replace stair climbing with one minute of mountain climbers.

The Ultimate Snack Attack

Feeling brave? Here’s Nic’s ultimate five-minute snack routine. He adds that the focus for this workout should be speed, as while your physical form is always important, speed is key to making the most of bodyweight exercises.

1. Run up and down three flights of stairs. Repeat. (Or 2 minutes of mountain climbers)
2. 20 burpees
3. 20 push-ups
4. 15 high knee jumps (if you have knee problems, do a high knees run instead)

If this is too easy, carry a weighted backpack!

For more easy workout ideas, check out these at-home workouts.