In this article we are going to look at some research looking at intermittent periods of exercise and its impact on muscle protein synthesis. We also explore other benefits of exercise snacking.
Muscle protein synthesis is the metabolic process behind building and maintaining muscle mass. Various things can influence muscle protein synthesis, such as the food we eat, hormones, genetics, nutrient status, movement, and exercise.
In contrast physical inactivity such as sitting for sustained periods of time can reduce muscle mass, strength and impair metabolic function. The result being increased fat mass levels, decreased muscle mass levels and therefore significant swings in one’s body fat percentage and metabolic function. This has the unfortunate effect of increasing the risk of cardiometabolic conditions such as cardiovascular disease, insulin resistance and diabetes, increases the likelihood of chronic musculoskeletal issues and so forth.
Prolonged periods of inactivity, such as sitting for long periods can contribute to what is known as anabolic resistance, accelerating the loss of muscle mass. A particular challenge in older adults who are more susceptible to this due to other physiological adaptions associated to aging, such as changes in hormonal status.
Even those meeting the weekly physical activity guidelines (150mins of moderate physical activity a week) but are otherwise sedentary, therefore an exercising couch potato, this is still associated with poor cardiovascular and metabolic outcomes.
The average sitting time per day for an adult is 6 hours, but my observation is that some people are much higher than this, especially since the movement towards working from home for so many of us.
Adequate protein intake and exercise goes a long way to preventing the negative impacts of sustained inactivity.
The great news is that the exercise required to experience the benefits is quite minimal. It’s more about making small bouts of movement a part of your daily routine and then reaping the rewards!
This study, looked at the incorporation of ‘activity snacks’, brief periods of physical activity through the day to improve glucose tolerance (beneficial for those with PCOS, diabetes, insulin resistance, weight loss related goals etc) and maintaining muscle protein synthesis during long bouts of sitting, which are all too common in modern work habits.
Although a small study, looking at 12 men and women with an average age of 23, it looked at 3 separate conditions:
- 5 hours of uninterrupted sitting
- 5 hours of sitting with 15 bodyweight squats every 30mins
- 5 hours of sitting with 2minutes of walking every 30mins
Participants were provided with a higher protein breakfast and lunch as part of the trial.
The study demonstrated that brief periods of activity can help to promote muscle protein synthesis vs prolonged sitting and can completely prevent the consequences of prolonged sitting. The best news is that it takes very little to achieve this. It’s more about frequency of movement, rather than intensity when it comes to breaking up the negative effects of a sedentary lifestyle. Small bouts of movement, as little as 1-2 minutes done frequently.
Another study showed that as little as 5 x 4sec sprints on a bike every hour (a total of 160secs per day) can prevent some of the metabolic effects of inactivity. Although this one might not be as practical as simply taking a walk or doing some bodyweight squats, lunges or press ups against a wall.
What exercise snacks can you take in the day?
- Schedule in brief walks into your diary
- Get a standing desk and have intermittent periods standing
- Perform a few basic bodyweight exercises intermittently through the day
- Schedule walk and talk meetings with colleagues, in person or on the phone
- Hit the stairs for 1-2mins intermittently through the day. Going downstairs to get tea and biscuits every 30mins doesn’t count! Maybe just 20-60secs of getting up and down the stairs as quick as you can.
- Perform on rotation the following exercises on the hour every hour
- Squats
- Lunges
- Press ups
- Plank
- Rows using an exercise band around the feet
- Fancy a bit of variety, mix and match any of the above.
The important thing is finding exercise you are happy to do and can incorporate into your workday to break up the sustained periods of sitting.
Wider benefits of exercise snacking
The other side of regularly incorporating exercise snacking into your daily routine, is the impact it will have on other habits that are also negatively impacting on your health.
Prolonged sitting, particularly in front of screens has that ability to drain brain chemicals and hormones that support mood and motivation. As a replacement we tend to look towards other habits that fill this void or stimulate those same hormones and neurotransmitters, such as snacking on sweet, salty, or fatty foods, cigarettes, caffeine, and alcohol.
Instead, make exercise your snack of choice!
Adding in regular activity snacks not only helps with things like glucose tolerance and muscle protein synthesis, it also shifts the mindset to one that is more focused on health and influences neurotransmitters and endorphins that support our mood and motivation levels.
This not only leads to improved physical and mental health, it also supports work place performance and efficiency.
Look at ways in which you can incorporate exercise snacking into your day. Perhaps get an office partner or even your whole team to incorporate exercise snacking into the day. Creating a supportive environment and developing a workplace culture that prioritises health and performance over disease and inefficiency seems like a sensible thing to do on several levels. It makes perfect sense for the employer and employee.
Whilst structured exercise is still very important to help with fitness, health and overall body composition, the effectiveness of moving more and more often should not be underestimated when it comes to optimising overall physical and mental health.
We are fortunate to have a team of nutrition and functional medicine professionals all with exercise science backgrounds. If you are interested in a holistic nutrition and lifestyle approach to improving your health and wellbeing, click the link below and get in touch today.
