Movement Snacks: Boost Your Productivity
go.ncsu.edu/readext?1056380
en Español / em Português
El inglés es el idioma de control de esta página. En la medida en que haya algún conflicto entre la traducción al inglés y la traducción, el inglés prevalece.
Al hacer clic en el enlace de traducción se activa un servicio de traducción gratuito para convertir la página al español. Al igual que con cualquier traducción por Internet, la conversión no es sensible al contexto y puede que no traduzca el texto en su significado original. NC State Extension no garantiza la exactitud del texto traducido. Por favor, tenga en cuenta que algunas aplicaciones y/o servicios pueden no funcionar como se espera cuando se traducen.
Português
Inglês é o idioma de controle desta página. Na medida que haja algum conflito entre o texto original em Inglês e a tradução, o Inglês prevalece.
Ao clicar no link de tradução, um serviço gratuito de tradução será ativado para converter a página para o Português. Como em qualquer tradução pela internet, a conversão não é sensivel ao contexto e pode não ocorrer a tradução para o significado orginal. O serviço de Extensão da Carolina do Norte (NC State Extension) não garante a exatidão do texto traduzido. Por favor, observe que algumas funções ou serviços podem não funcionar como esperado após a tradução.
English
English is the controlling language of this page. To the extent there is any conflict between the English text and the translation, English controls.
Clicking on the translation link activates a free translation service to convert the page to Spanish. As with any Internet translation, the conversion is not context-sensitive and may not translate the text to its original meaning. NC State Extension does not guarantee the accuracy of the translated text. Please note that some applications and/or services may not function as expected when translated.
Collapse ▲Do you ever find yourself fading throughout the day? Do you get the Two O’clock sleep attack? We all need a pick-me-up sometimes. You can incorporate a snack to give yourself a jolt, but not just any old “cheese and crackers” snack. A “Movement Snack”! A movement snack is perfect for a boost in energy and a break from being sedentary at your desk or on the couch. Movement snacks are short bouts of physical activity that break up sedentary behavior throughout the day. Movement snacks can also help you increase your overall physical activity, serve as an opportunity to practice new exercises, and keep the body loose to prepare for longer
bouts of exercise.
Movement snacks allow our bodies to move and break up long sessions of prolonged sitting that usually take a toll on the body, especially when we use technology such as laptops and handheld devices. Our whole spine begins to take a hit, evidenced by postures such as hunching and tech neck. You will usually feel aching or tightness in the lower back, neck, and shoulders after the spine and other distal joints have been under stress for quite some time. Movement snacks help you move throughout the day and keep these joints and ligaments engaged so that they don’t become tight. These powerful snacks also allow us to work the surrounding muscles to better our posture and stability.
Movement snacks can serve as a tool to increase your physical activity levels in a way that doesn’t seem so intimidating because movement snacks are usually only about 10 minutes long, which is about the length of a break at most places of employment. If you had 3 movement snacks per day that were 10 minutes each, you would have racked up 30 minutes per day which will help you meet or exceed the 150 minutes of moderate physical activity per week recommended by the American Heart Association.
Each movement snack is an opportunity for you to practice certain movements or exercises to train your body to become more efficient at the movements. The repetition of the movements executed can help recruit more neurons to improve muscle memory when doing the movements. This will lead to overall efficiency when performing these movements in your exercise routine during your larger bouts of movement.
To wrap it all up, movement snacks are definitely becoming a part of a lot of people’s toolboxes to help them get more movements in throughout the day. We have a few strategies for getting started and how to keep it going.
- Create a movement snack goal. “I will take a movement snack at least twice per day for 10 minutes and after 6 weeks I will move up to 3 movement snacks per day.
- Movement Journal: Record your movement and track progress via your phone or use a good old pen and paper. Sometimes when you see the progress you get a little extra motivation to keep progressing.
- Set The Scene: Set up your environment with exercise equipment in plain site or put things in your workspace that remind you of movement.
- Accountability and Support: Move with friends, coworkers, family members, etc. Do a movement challenge. Get involved in a group that does the type of movement that you like such as walking, running, hiking, biking, etc.
Sources:
Movement Snacks a Worksheet to track progress
Movement Snacks and Habit Stacks: Strategies for Overcoming Sedentary Lifestyles