Remotely delivered home-based daily exercise: exercise snacking, tai chi snacking, or a combination, with two 10-minute bouts per day
Exercise Snacks
Home Exercise Snacking Trial in Older Adults
A randomized trial tested remotely delivered daily exercise snacking, tai chi, or both in self-isolating adults aged 65 and older. All exercise groups improved physical function, with exercise snacking rated most acceptable.
Study overview
- Study title
- Feasibility and Acceptability of Home-Based Exercise Snacking and Tai Chi Snacking Delivered Remotely to Self-Isolating Older Adults During COVID-19.
- Study authors
- Ian Ju Liang, Oliver J Perkin, Polly M McGuigan, Dylan Thompson, Max J Western
- Population
- Self-isolating adults aged 65 years and older during the COVID-19 pandemic
- Sample size
- 63
- Duration
- 4 weeks
- Comparator
- Control using UK National Health Service web pages
- Outcomes
- Physical function, Exercise-program acceptability, Psychological well-being, Feeling states, Exercise adherence
Intervention
Main findings
All intervention groups showed increased physical function at 4-week follow-up and good adherence. Exercise snacking was considered the most acceptable program. Energy and exercise engagement were reciprocally associated.
What this may mean in practice
Snacksmate's reading of the evidence — not a quotation from the original paper.
In this small randomized trial, remotely delivered exercise snacking, tai chi snacking, and their combination were feasible for self-isolating older adults and were accompanied by improved physical function at follow-up. Broader studies are needed to assess how well these findings apply to more diverse populations.
Limitations
Further studies are needed with larger, more diverse demographic samples.
Original study
What can you take from this?
The notes above are Snacksmate’s reading of this study, not personal advice.