Remotely delivered exercise snacks: 4 × 1-minute bouts of vigorous exercise on at least 5 days per week
Exercise Snacks
Exercise Snacks for Type 2 Diabetes: Randomized Trial
A 12-week remote exercise-snack program was tested in insufficiently active adults with non-insulin-treated type 2 diabetes. Adherence and enjoyment were high, while sit-to-stand capacity improved more than with mobility and stretching.
Study overview
- Study title
- Exercise Snacks Are Feasible to Perform in the Real World and Improve Physical Capacity for Adults Living With Non-Insulin Treated Type 2 Diabetes: A Randomised Trial.
- Study authors
- Fiona J Babir, Alexis Marcotte-Chénard, Roderick E Sandilands, Kaja Falkenhain, Noah Mulkewich, Hashim Islam, Seth F McCarthy, Douglas L Richards, Kenneth Madden, Joel Singer, Michael C Riddell, Mary E Jung, Martin J Gibala, Jonathan P Little
- Population
- Insufficiently active adults with type 2 diabetes; 46 of 69 participants were female, with a mean age of 58 years
- Sample size
- 69
- Duration
- 12 weeks
- Comparator
- Mobility/stretching comparator: 4 × 1-minute bouts of low-intensity exercise on at least 5 days per week
- Outcomes
- Adherence, Exercise enjoyment, Perceived exertion, Heart rate, HbA1c, Cardiometabolic blood biomarkers, 30-second sit-to-stand capacity, Grip strength
Intervention
Main findings
Both groups completed an estimated 18 bouts per week and reported high enjoyment, with no difference between groups. Exercise snacks produced higher exertion and peak heart rate, but the only significant between-group difference in secondary outcomes was greater improvement in sit-to-stand capacity after training.
What this may mean in practice
Snacksmate's reading of the evidence — not a quotation from the original paper.
For insufficiently active adults with type 2 diabetes, a 12-week remote exercise-snack program appeared feasible and enjoyable. It improved sit-to-stand capacity more than mobility and stretching, while other measured outcomes did not show clear between-group differences.
Original study
What can you take from this?
The notes above are Snacksmate’s reading of this study, not personal advice.