Snexercise or energy snacking: the lowdown
Unless you are a professional athlete or have a physical job, most of us runners have relatively sedentary day jobs – necessary not only to pay the mortgage and household bills, but also to fund those expensive trainer and event fee habits! So during the day whilst earning a few quid, we are probably stuck at a desk or our kitchen table (aka ‘home office’!) in front of a computer.
When I think about it, I’ve long been a proponent of small bursts of activity whilst going about our everyday lives (e.g. calf raises whilst brushing your teeth, hopping whilst waiting for the kettle to boil, sumo squat side walks to the fridge, etc).
But now it seems like it’s an actual thing as explained in a recent BBC article. This got me thinking about how we spend our days when we are not actually running and whether it could be damaging all, or at least some, of the precious running gains we’re making during Monday and Wednesday evening training sessions? Is our desk job sabotaging the solid miles we’re logging on our early morning and weekend runs? And with run club straight after work, there’s no time to go to an actual gym!
Enter snexercise – the term we’ve coined at No Regrets Running for exercise snacking. It’s not a fad – it’s science-backed bursts of movement to supercharge your health without stealing your time1.
What is Snexercise?
Snexercise or ‘exercise snacking’ means sprinkling tiny, intense workouts lasting 20 – 60 seconds which you perform from 3 to 8 times throughout your day. Think quick stair sprints or jogs on the spot – no gym needed. It’s perfect for us runners who are required to work either in an office or from home and who are stuck at a desk / kitchen table in front of their computer by day. Unlike 30-minute gym sessions, snexercise fits anywhere: your office corridor, the car park, your kitchen… Research shows these micro-bursts rival longer workouts for benefits, especially when you’re inactive most of the day2.
Proven Benefits of Snexercise Backed by Science
Trials prove snexercise delivers big wins, even with minimal time:
- Boosts fitness fast: 6 weeks of 3 daily stair sprints (60 seconds total) raised VO2 peak by 5% and power by 12% in sedentary adults – gains matching sprint intervals3.
- Slashes blood sugar spikes: Pre-meal snexercise drops post-meal glucose/insulin by up to 24 hours in insulin-resistant runners, beating continuous exercise4.
- Fights sitting’s damage: Hourly bursts preserve blood flow to legs/brain, cut triglycerides, lower blood pressure, and ease fatigue/mood dips5.
- Builds strength & adherence: Older adults gained 31% leg power with twice-daily resistance snacks; compliance hits 83–91% because it’s easy6.
A 2025 meta-analysis of 11 RCTs confirmed snexercise amps cardiorespiratory fitness and endurance, ideal for runners fighting desk life7.
Snexercise for the Desk-Bound Runner
As a runner, tailor snexercise to prime your legs and lungs. Aim for 3 – 6 bursts daily, vigorous effort if you can. Total time? Around 5 minutes should do it. Pick from some of the suggestions here:
| Time | Snexercise (20–60 sec burst) | Why it helps runners |
| 9am Arrival | For drivers: park in the furthest space from the office door and jog to the building For those on the bus: jog to or from the bus stop (get on / off one stop further away?) | Warms hips, boosts morning metabolism |
| 11am Break | High knees or sumo squats with side walk – whilst ‘walking’ along the corridor, or whilst moving around the kitchen making a coffee (think kettle to fridge) | Builds knee drive / fights tight hips |
| 1pm Lunch | Stair sprint (1–2 flights, fast) or go outside for a brisk dog walk (those who WFH) or take a walk in the nearest park (much better than doom scrolling whilst eating your sandwich) | Mimics hill reps, spikes VO2 |
| 3pm Slump | Desk jog-in-place (arms pumping). Or take a phone or Zoom call whilst standing up, marching on the spot / walking around the room. | Clears head, preserves blood flow |
| During the day | When standing up from your chair, sit straight back down again, then stand up and repeat 20 times. Hey presto, squats! (make sure your chair is fixed if it has wheels!) | Keeps those glutes active |
| 5pm Wind-down | Quick loop around building – go the long way to the office car park, or walk to a further bus stop | Loosens for evening run, cuts stress |
| Bedtime | Single leg calf raises whilst brushing your teeth (hold on to the sink for support!) | Strengthens calves and improves balance |
Yes you office workers may get some strange looks from your colleagues but own it! Tell them what you are doing and more importantly why you are doing it. You never know, you may start a new office trend.
So it’s time to ditch the all-or-nothing mindset which inevitably lead to excuses (‘I haven’t got time to go to the gym’, ‘I’m too late for the 5.30pm aerobics class’, etc, etc).
Snexercise keeps you moving, alert and run-ready. Try it this week – never regret a snexercise!