 energy snacking. All right if you think you need to exercise for 45 minutes or more to reap the benefits of movement you're wrong. Sure go for a run if you want or go to the gym but you can actually get all the benefits of exercise without long periods of it and if you want to start somewhere you don't have to jump into the deep end. It's called exercise snacking. A concept I created and expounded on in my 2019 book the energy paradox. The New York Times even mentioned this concept in a recent article titled how long does it take to get fit again? Well I've got the answer to that question. No time at all and you can do wherever you want. In fact studies show that three ten minute sessions of exercise scattered throughout the day offers at least the same and perhaps even more benefit as 30 minutes of continuous exercise. The goal is to move continuously throughout the day with bursts of vigorous movement included here and there to condition your metabolism to become more flexible. I call these short session snacks because they are quick easy forms of exercise that can be done anywhere anytime and if you're new to exercise something even as simple as going on a 10 minute walk is a great place to begin because walking is embedded in our evolutionary design. Our genes expect us to walk a daily walk and help kickstart energy production improve metabolism slash the risk of diabetes and help boost mental clarity. Interestingly enough the 2016 study found that a 10 minute stroll after dinner dramatically lowered blood sugars and you know what delaying that hit of sugar can do for your energy production. I love to take an evening stroll with my wife Penny and our dogs who are always eager to get outside. I often tell my patients that getting a dog is a great investment in their long-term health. Fun fact, studies show that dog owners live longer than non dog owners. Now if you're new to exercise you don't need to have any special equipment to start boosting your energy immediately. Just move your body. For example, go outside and weed the garden or mow the lawn tidy up around the house. Turns out that house chores, washing dishes, doing the laundry, sweeping the floor, vacuuming, making a bed count towards exercise. We frequently forget that oftentimes housewives back in the 50s were far more fit than their buff husbands because of all the housework that they were doing. We know in looking at super old people around the world in the blue zones that one of the things that's unique to these populations is their movement doing routine chores, weeding the garden. In many of these people, they're sheep and goat herders. Most of them have a vegetable garden that they actively weed. So it's these little things that we've neglected in the entrance of convenience. For instance, when I grew up there were no garage door openers. All we had was shovels with the shovel snow, no blowers. We didn't have a remote for a TV. Can you imagine we actually had to get up from the couch to change one or the three TV channels that we had? All of these little efforts getting up from the couch to change a channel on TV, when you think about it compounded throughout the day, makes a big difference. While you're sitting on the couch, why don't you do some leg lifts? And I'm just doing one because I don't want to fall over the moment. But you're not doing anything else, just do leg lifts. Do some squats while brushing your teeth. I've written about this so many times. It's so easy to do. You're not doing anything else while brushing your teeth. Just do some knee bends. Pick up a mini trampoline and jump on it for 10 minutes. You can find one really cheap. If you're worried about it, get the one with the handle that attaches to the underside. They're easy to find. They're cheap. You can get them online. It's going to be the most fun way to get exercise you can. It's a low impact activity and it promotes immunity and lymphatic drainage. The other thing is you probably have a favorite song. Spend two to three minutes dancing around the living room. Your dog can dance with you. Your spouse can dance with you or your spouse can laugh at you. It promotes a good activity. Now there are all sorts of ways to sneak a little movement into your day. And a total of these exercise snacks can add up to big improvements. Now if you're someone who likes to have a more specific program to start out, I've got the perfect snack circuit for you. So start off by completing the circuit twice a day or whenever you feel the need to get up and move your body, especially if you spend a large part of your day sitting. And it only takes four minutes. What can you do? Jog in place. Just go for a nice easy trot for one minute. Now if this is too much for you, try it seated and move your arms and legs as though you're running. Crunches, better known as sit-ups. Go as far as you can go and do as many as you can within one minute without going too quickly. You want to keep your form the whole time, making sure your abs are doing the work, not that you're pulling yourself up with your arms on your neck. Planks. Planks are as they sound. They're a great all-around body strengthener and they can be done practically anywhere. If planks aren't your thing, just do regular old or modified knees on the floor push-ups. These are simple. Again, there's something that you can do at your desk. So there's something you can do in your home. Finally, squats. And I mentioned this before. This is another great move you can do anywhere. Do as many repetitions as you can for a minute, focusing on keeping your form. Hold on to a counter or the back of a chair with one hand if you need balance. There's really no excuse. You do each of those for a minute. You've got a four-minute workout. Do it twice a day. You're well on your way to becoming an exercise snacker. Make sure to check out the next one here. 94% of human beings carry a preformed antibody against the peanut lectin.