Exercise snacks for the win, again

Photo by Mateusz Majewski on Unsplash

A small study in 11 midlifers has showed huge health benefits in using regular walking to break up a day of sitting. Researchers found five minutes every half-hour reduced blood glucose spikes after eating by 58 percent over an eight-hour period, compared with sitting the entire time, a reduction lead author Keith Diaz compared to someone on diabetes medication.

The researchers found big reductions in systolic blood pressure with the five-minute routine too, at levels you’d expect to see in someone who had exercised daily for six months.

Now if you, like me, are a) terrified of pre-diabetes and the fact that perimenopause increases our vulnerability to it, and b) thinking ‘how the hell would I manage to walk for 5 minutes every half hour’, Diaz has this motivation: “While that may sound impractical, our findings show that even small amounts of walking spread through the work day can significantly lower your risk of heart disease and other chronic …