Exercise Snacking: Yes, You Can Fit In Time To Exercise
Josh Allen • December 4, 2019
If you are someone who struggles to accomplish regular exercise because of the time and the set-up required this quick article is for you!
One of the biggest reasons why people do not exercise comes down to lack of time and poor organization. Even though I am the owner of a health club, I too have many times where I have not exercised because of the time required. I’m just too busy with work and other life obligations and exercise ends up taking the back seat. Then there are days, because I am not organized, I fail to complete any exercise at all. This usually happens if I did not pack the right clothes to exercise in or I did not look at my schedule the day before to plug in some dedicated time.
The problem, however, is NOT that we do not have time or we lack organization skills but rather we think in order to exercise effectively we need the stars and moon to be aligned in the perfect way. The reality is our week may only have a few time blocks where we could allocate 1 to 2 hours for exercise (commute, exercise, shower, eat, etc). While this is better than nothing, most of us can barely afford 1 to 2 hour blocks let alone exercise most days like we SHOULD be doing to be healthy and reach fitness-related goals.
If this scenario sounds familiar to you let me introduce the concept of ‘Exercise Snacking’. It will blow you away because it is so easy!
Let me first clear the air by saying what you do NOT need to exercise:
60 to 120 minutes of dedicated time
Sneakers, shorts and t-shirt
A gym or equipment
If you are like most people who make excuses for not exercising based on time and or lack of organization, anything that is typically seen as needed to exercise is just not necessary If you are someone that only can exercise when the stars are aligned, with a curated music playlist, clean favorite workout clothes ready-to-go, a 15 minute drive to the gym, a long post-workout shower and who struggles to get this time in each day or week then ‘Exercise Snacking’ is here to help.
Exercise snacking is like snacking on food. When you feel hungry you stop what you are doing to grab a snack or a meal. Most of us do this more than three times a day. So, what if when you thought of doing pushups you simply did some pushups? Yes, even without changing into workout clothes! Or what if when you were walking up stairs you ran and did 10 rounds instead of just one? Yes, without a post-workout meal planned after! What if you took your children to the park and instead of looking at the phone you did step-ups on the bench? Yes without a ten-minute warmup on the cardio machine first? What if you did a plank during all the commercials when watching TV? What if in that long line up you stretched your quads? What if every time you walked by that tree branch in the backyard you did or attempted a pullup?
The result would be that you probably accomplished more exercise in a given week than you would if you just waited for the stars to be aligned the right way. The ultimate result is that you are actually living an active lifestyle and closer to reaching your fitness goals.
The concept comes down to any exercise is better than none and exercise can be done anywhere you think of it. This can be as simple as one set of exercises or even a ten-minute routine (rather than the classic 60 minute workout). So next time you are thinking “Oh I should start exercising but I can’t find the time...” stop and do 20 bodyweight squats. Don’t worry about needing weights or having to do a ten-minute warmup on the bike and needing shorts on. Do the squats then and there in your jeans. These small accomplishments have the power to add up and create momentum for making more exercise and a healthier future.
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Do Hard Things Now, So Life Becomes Easier Later Modern humans default to the easy way but it's not our fault... Throughout human history, we were wired to survive constant hardship - scarcity of food, threats from predators, harsh environments and manual labor for everything. Our DNA evolved for survival in these conditions, not for modern living. Imagine an early human stumbling across a fruit tree. It made sense to gorge - there was no telling when the next meal would come. The human who gorged had a higher chance of survival than the human who only ate a few pieces of fruit. Practicing self-control in an environment of scarcity would have been a death sentence. Likewise, if given a chance to rest instead of walking miles or hunting, rest was the obvious choice. The problem? Our genes haven’t caught up with modern life. Today, food is everywhere. We don’t have to fight to meet our basic needs. Technology does the heavy lifting, cars replace walking, entertainment is on-demand and calorie-dense foods are always within reach. Left unchecked, our instincts will always lean toward easy options like overeating unhealthy foods (that are so easily accessible) or driving to the store instead of walking. In other words, we’re still hardwired to take the path of least resistance. But here’s the catch: Choosing easy now often means a harder life later and choosing hard now often means an easier life later. Most modern humans are overweight, stressed, tired and dealing with chronic health problems because we’re following outdated survival programming that no longer serves us. It’s time to become aware of these defaults. To override them. To consciously choose the hard thing - because doing hard things is what actually makes life easier in the long run. Hard things like: Going to bed on time instead of watching another episode Preparing a healthy meal instead of grabbing fast food Moving your body instead of sitting all day Walking or biking to the store instead of driving Managing stress with deep breaths and fresh air instead of pouring a drink Looking at your habits instead of masking symptoms with medication It might feel uncomfortable because it goes against everything your biological programming is urging you to do. But that’s exactly why it matters. Don’t think of it as punishment or sacrifice. Think of it as an investment. Every time you take the stairs instead of the elevator, cook instead of order out, or put your phone down to truly rest, you’re building a life that’s easier, richer, and more fulfilling down the road. And remember: Do easy things, and you’ll have a hard life. Do hard things, and you’ll have an easy life. Most of the above information is probably not new to you. That’s because we live in the information age with the internet and now AI - we already know what it is we need to do. The problem however is implementation. This is where having a customized plan and accountability comes in. If you know the hard things you need to do more of but struggle with breaking past your ‘default mode’ then contact us for a complimentary consultation HERE .
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We are back with our second series of 'Pod Calls' available exclusively to our Nova Health Club members. Don't miss these unique sessions to help you level up your health and wellness game! What is a Pod Call? A Pod Call is a live online (webinar like)_ session with a Nova coach, offering support and insights on key health topics like fitness, nutrition, recovery and overall wellness. Why did we create Pod Calls? Our goal is your success and your health goals can not be built on fitness alone. After delivering thousands of personal training sessions, we noticed a disconnect between fitness sessions we were delivering and the other pillars of health (and lifestyle habits that happen outside of the gym). To get the most out of your health and your fitness sessions at Nova we need to link other pillars such as mindset, nutrition, stress and recovery. Training coaches who care about your results will agree that a couple hours of personal training each week is not enough time to workout AND learn everything you need to know about maximizing those workouts... Things like how to eat before or after workouts, what recovery habits should be practiced or the link between stress and working out are all subjects that you need to know on your health and fitness journey. Pod Calls are dedicated sessions where we teach you essential health and fitness insights that we can't often cover during your gym workouts. We hope you take advantage of these expert-led sessions that will enhance your workouts, teach you new concepts about health and bridge the gap between fitness and overall wellness. Upcoming Pod Calls (all times in EST) Mon Jun 2, 2025 (6:00pm) Topic: How To Eat Carbs For Better Energy, Muscle & Fat Loss Coach: Josh Allen Wed Jun 4, 2025 (2:00pm) Topic: Hip Mobility Using the 'CARS' (active session) Coach: Kim Vo Sat Jun 7, 2025 (12:00pm) Topic: Benefits of Single Leg & Arm Training for Overall Strength Coach: Matthew Nadler Tues Jun 10, 2025 (6pm) Topic: Releasing Neck Tension Coach: Zack Fernandez Wed Jun 18, 2025 (1:00pm) Topic: Training The Backside of The Core Coach: Colin Soltesz Thu June 19, 2025 (7:00pm): Topic: Ayurveda for Healthy Ageing Coach: Kayla Hutchinson These calls are free for Nova members and Zoom links for each call can be found in the Nova Mighty Networks platform. If you are not a Nova member and would like to attend any of these please email Info@NovaHealthClub.com for a seat. We look forward to seeing you then!
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