Exercise snacks : five warming wonders
If you’ve been around any kind of Lark Pilates class, you will likely have heard me wittering on about exercise snacks at some point. These are little nuggets of movement goodness that you can sprinkle liberally throughout your day, whenever you have two minutes to spare. Yes, it can be as little as that!
But what? And why? I hear you ask.
150 minutes of moderate to high intensity exercise per week is the UK recommendation. Which can sound pretty daunting if you’re starting from scratch. 30 minutes five times each week, for example, can feel like big wodges of time.
But. In interesting news, doing lots of little chunks of exercise throughout the day, i.e. exercise snacking, is also super duper beneficial, as it gives our metabolism many small but significant boosts, helping us use more energy, more consistently.
I must credit the jolly Dr Michael Mosley here, much beloved Radio 4 presenter of Just One Thing. I’m a huge fan. And I picked up on the exercise snack phenomenon there, realising it was something I had been doing for a while, as a very southern Dorset-shire gal living in Scotland! The trick is to move with an intensity that gets your heart rate up, breathing harder, and generally feeling warm.
At Lark Pilates you’ll find most of these sorts of moves at the top of the class — exercises to get our bodies warmed up and prepped for the work ahead. That said, as we progress to higher level Pilates exercises, we can keep the intensity up throughout!
Here are some simple and specific whats, with their whys in brief — mostly moves we do at Lark Pilates all the time.
Sit back squats : with hand-weights if you can : glute and core strength, with some balance. Super functional for you throughout life. Think getting up out of a low seat, without using your arms. Essential? Absolutely.
Planks : ace for building core strength and helping prevent back pain. Because these are held for a little chunk of time (start with 30 seconds and build up) they count as isometric exercises, which recent research shows is one of the most effective types of exercise for reducing blood pressure.
Wall squats : glute, core, thigh strength, plus some nice posture work too. As above, these are isometric exercises, effective for reducing blood pressure.
Shoulder bridges : a Pilates classic, for mobilising the spine, strengtherning core, glutes, hamstrings and for hip mobility. Added bonus — this one is super relaxing too.
Wide squats : with hand-weights if you like : a lovely one for hip mobility, glute and hamstring strength.
The beauty of all these exercises — once you’ve become familiar and comfortable with some key Pilates principles of core and gluteal engagement, comfy posture, and circular breathing — is that you can modify the moves to make them more challenging as you get stronger. And they are ideal preps too for all your cold and muddy outdoor adventures!
Adding in weights where appropriate, extended holds, or increasing the balance challenge can all build the benefits of an exercise snack. And you can tailor things to fit the areas you most want to work on.
The additional reason why exercise snacks end up being a win win win, is that all of these moves warm you up — which means you can delay hitting boost on the heating. A win for your body, your bills, and the planet.
If you like the sound of all this, why not give it a whirl! I’ve linked short vids with the exercises above so you can get started right away. Just remember — work within a range that feels comfortable for you. Better to start steady and build from there. Now get snacking! :)
And if you’re unsure about the Pilates principles mentioned above, but you’ve heard lots about the benefits, you’d be super welcome at Lark.
For your options, have a look here, and drop me a line. Or if you’d like a quick chinwag about it all, give me a shout. Very happy to chat!
You could also read an earlier blog: What is Pilates?
And in the meantime, here’s what some lovely Larks have been saying about Pilates classes…thanks indeed you guys! :)
I’m a relative newcomer to Pilates but have experienced a few teachers and can vouch that Johanna is absolutely outstanding: positive, calm, enthusiastic, professional and motivating. She has a way of describing and explaining exercises which is really excellent. I cannot imagine having a better Pilates instructor. I haven’t used the online classes as we have been fortunate enough to attend her actual classes.
- Robert, real life Lark
This pilates class is brilliant and really good fun too.
Just a great big thanks to Johanna!
- Em, real life Lark
I really enjoy pilates with Johanna. She explains everything very well, and graduates the exercises according to ability. The classes are fun, and the next day you can definitely feel you've worked the targeted muscles. So good for posture and tone.
- Jan, real life Lark
The weekly pass is amazing value for all the joy and wellbeing it gives me and my body.
- Louise, online Lark
I’ve being attending Johanna‘s classes in Langton since moving here in March. I’m so happy to have found this class I love Johanna’s teaching style and friendly, relaxed nature. She mixes up the exercises every week whilst making sure we work all the core muscles. I’ve got a couple of issues with my back and Johanna always checks in and offers alternatives/ adjustments as needed.
I would recommend Lark Pilates. In fact i’m thinking about signing up to an additional weekly class online.
- Emma, real life and online Lark