THE POWER OF EXERCISE SNACKS

A higher VO2 max correlates with better physical fitness, a lower risk of cardiovascular disease, and is one of the strongest predic- tors of longevity. So, naturally, aging men and women want to know how to improve it. Still, nearly 40 percent of people who perform 150 to 300 minutes per week of moderate exercise fail to improve their VO2 max. So, what's the secret? Doing two or more "exercise snacks" per day can boost VO2 max by 5 to 17 percent, according to new research published in the British Journal of Sports Medicine. 

Exercise snacks are short periods of movement lasting five minutes or less. This could look like a circuit of pushups, pullups, dips, and air squats during a workday. In the study, researchers analyzed 11 randomized controlled trials involving over 400 adults and seniors. They found performing short, structured exercises two or more times

per day significantly improved cardiore- spiratory fitness in inactive folks. In older adults, these exercise snacks also enhanced muscular endurance. These gains required surprisingly little time, too-just 10 to 65 minutes of total exercise per week.

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