Bite-Size Workouts, Big Rewards

If you're too time-pressed to meet your fitness goals, don't worry: You can get lasting health benefits from a steady diet of exercise "snacks."

- JESSICA MIGALA

SOMEDAY YOU'RE going to start a running routine or that thrice-weekly cycling class, but you currently can't find the time, or the motivation, or the will to put on spandex. So why not have a snack instead? A workout snack, that is-a brief bout of exercise, as short as a minute, can yield surprising health perks when done consistently.

"The number one barrier to working out is lack of time," says Martin Gibala, PhD, professor of kinesiology at McMaster University in Ontario, Canada. Exercise snacks help you grab movement opportunities whenever you can. Many can be done in a small space in your home or office, don't require equipment, and may not even make you sweat.

Nevertheless, emerging research shows that exercise snacks target two important components of fitness: cardiovascular health and metabolic health, both of which are linked to lower risks of type 2 diabetes and heart disease, Gibala says.

Official guidelines still recommend regular moderate exercise, but-good news!experts now say every minute counts, and they add up: Three 10-minute spurts are as good as one 30-minute session. And since the first minute can be the hardest, once you get started, you might just find you're ready for a full "meal."

So whether you have one minute or 10, here's how to sneak in activity that will give you energy and help keep you healthy for the long term. (Just check with your doctor before you begin any new exercise program.)

If you have 1 minute: try stair climbing