About a month ago, my husband and founder of B7 Fitness, came to me with a worthy—but terrifying—idea. “Let’s join The Push-Up Challenge,” he said and then with a glint in his eye, “But be prepared to do 2000 push-ups.”
He went on to explain that the annual event was organized to bring awareness to the mental health of Canadians and raise money in support of the Canadian Mental Health Association. Over 18 days, we’d do as few as 75 and as many as 183 push-ups on a single day. Each day’s quota was tied to an important fact relating to mental health.
Of course I was in. But there was a problem.
I couldn’t do 75 push-ups in a single shot, much less 183!
Enter the concept of “exercise snacks”! Instead of committing to one big set of push-ups or even a bunch of small sets spaced out over 10 or 20 minutes, I could spread my push-ups throughout the day. Five here, 10 there, or a big set of 25 if I could manage it.
Amazing! Completing the challenge suddenly became doable.
Have you heard of the concept of exercise snacks before? The idea behind it is that instead of doing a big hour or so long workout (aka a meal), you can do bits and pieces of exercise here and there throughout the day (aka snacks) and still get MAJOR results.
Depending on what you “snack” on, research shows that breaking up your movement into small, manageable pieces can improve cardiovascular health, build strength, boost mood, and enhance metabolism—without the need for what may be an impossible commitment of time. So, whether you’re working from home, running errands, or juggling family responsibilities, you can still prioritize your health in a way that honours the time you have available.
And there’s an added bonus! Short bursts of cardio aren’t just great for fitness—they can also help curb stress-related cravings and emotional eating (aka actual snacking). Just a minute of jumping jacks, a brisk walk, or some high knees can release endorphins, reduce the stress hormone cortisol, and shift your focus away from food. This simple trick can help regulate appetite, boost energy, and reinforce mindful eating habits—all while keeping you active throughout the day.
Inspired? Here are three simple ways to incorporate exercise snacks into your life:
Step 1: Choose your movement or mini-workout
Having a plan is the key to making exercise snacks work. Like anything in life, if you don’t have a plan, you plan to fail. Without this forethought and commitment, it’s easier to “forget” or brush your commitment off because you don’t have the mental energy to be decisive in the moment.
But how exactly should you choose your exercise snack?
It’s really up to you. If you want to focus on strength and muscle endurance, committing to a number of reps just outside your comfort zone is great. The movement can be anything that you want to improve or can target an area where you want to build strength and endurance. Options include:
Push-ups
Lunges
Bodyweight squats
Sit-ups
Step-ups onto a stair or sturdy bench
Pull-ups
When I started working out years ago, my goal was to do a strict pull-up. I installed a pull-up bar on the doorway of my bedroom and every time I passed by, I jumped up and focused on a slow, controlled descent. And guess what? This low time commitment exercise snack got me to my goal!
If you’re more interested in working on your cardiovascular fitness, choose movements that push your lungs a bit, such as:
Skipping
Burpees
High knees
A short jog
A few minutes here and there may not seem like much, but over the course of the day, those minutes and that effort add up!
Step 2: Choose your trigger
Next, decide how you’ll scatter your movement throughout your day. For example, will you do them at certain times? Every hour, every three hours? Or will you use the concept of habit stacking and pair them with something that you already do naturally, like taking a bathroom break, checking your email, or heading to the fridge?
If you pair movement with something you already do often, you'll build consistency effortlessly. For example, if you work in an office building with stairs, one of the movement habit stacks I love is to commit to doing several flights of stairs each time you take a bathroom break.
If you’re at home, you could lunge your way to the bathroom and back to your computer. You could also pair a screen break with 25 bodyweight squats every half hour. Both your eyes and your thighs will thank you!
Or how about doing jumping jacks each time you scroll social media apps on your phone? Again, the opportunities to trigger your movement are endless. But you need to decide on—and commit to—a plan.
Step 3: Choose to hold yourself accountable
The third step is making sure you follow through. As you know, I’m a big fan of writing things down because what gets written down, gets done. I live and breathe this concept, so to make sure I met my daily push-up quota, I wrote the number on my to-do list. Without making that written promise to myself, I wouldn’t have done the work.
You can write your goal:
In your day timer
On your to-do list
On a sticky-note to place on your kitchen/ bathroom counter or your desk, or
Write it on your hand to keep it extra visible for the day
A few weeks ago, I wrote about how habit development takes time—from as little as 18 days to as long as 254! The point is, you have to make sure you repeat your exercise snacking system over and over again for it to become automatic. Don’t stress if you miss a day because nothing has been “ruined”. Just get back to it the next day. In time, you’ll notice exercise snacking your way through your day is part of your new normal.
And you might also notice that you have more energy, your anxiety is reduced, you feel a great sense of accomplishment, and who knows, you might just get your first full push-up or pull-up! By weaving short bursts of activity into your day, you’ll improve your health, build strength, and keep your body and brain feeling great, all without having to stress about finding an hour for a workout in what’s already an impossibly busy schedule. Win, win.
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