The 45-second exercises that are as good as a 30-minute walk

Lavina Mehta is a personal trainer and wellness coach who was awarded an MBE for her services to health and fitness in 2020

When it comes to our health, every second of movement counts. That’s why I’m such a big advocate of making time for short bursts of exercise throughout the day – an approach known as “exercise snacking”.

Now, a recent study from researchers in China has investigated just how effective this approach to fitness is for our health. It found that breaking up eight hours of sitting with 10 squats every 45 minutes led to a bigger drop in our blood sugar than going for a 30 minute walk.

The thinking is that more regular movement is better at mopping up excess sugar in our blood following a meal. It minimises the rollercoaster of blood sugar spikes, which can increase our Type 2 diabetes risk and affect mood, energy levels and productivity.

The more you “exercise snack” throughout the day, the better it is for your blood sugar, blood pressure, cholesterol, weight management and even your mood. Every time you exercise, you’re releasing feel-good endorphins.

As well as squatting, any other short burst of exercise will trigger a similar result. Tie them onto existing habits to encourage movement throughout your day, without having to carve out big chunks of time.

My ideal recommendation would be to get up every 30 minutes and move for three minutes. Most of us spend nine to 10 hours a day seated and prolonged periods of sitting are detrimental to our long-term health and getting up regularly breaks that up. But any movement, even just the 45 seconds they looked at in the study, is beneficial.

Do a fitness salutation as soon as you wake up

This is the world’s best stretch. It loosens up every single joint and muscle in the body and helps alleviate pain and stiffness. It is great for flexibility and strengthening and could be performed first thing in the morning, or during the day to break up prolonged periods of sitting. One repetition should take around 45 seconds, or do three repetitions, which will take around three minutes.

• From a standing position, open your arms and reach them up as you take a big inhale. Then, bend from your hips into a forward fold, placing your hands in front of your feet (bending your knees if you need to)
• Walk your hands out into a high plank position, then step your right foot to the side of your right hand. Sink your hips so they are parallel to the ground and breathe into any tightness
• Press your left hand into the ground and bring your right hand overhead. Twist your body to the right side and bring your gaze to the lifted fingertips. Reverse the movement and repeat on the other side (engaging your core throughout)
• From your plank, walk the hands back up towards your feet (with legs bent or straight) and roll up the spine to a standing position

Balance on one leg while you’re brushing your teeth

Balance is key. It builds our core and bone strength, helps with coordination and keeps our brains fit. Studies suggest that people who can balance on one leg for 10 seconds are more likely to live longer. Combine this exercise with brushing your teeth, so it becomes part of your routine.

• Keep your hands or fingers resting on a fixed work surface, wall or sink if you’re feeling unsteady.
• Balance on one leg and count to 10 and repeat on the other leg. Build up how long you can spend on each leg, aiming for up to one minute on each side.

It’s an oldie but always walk up the escalator or take the stairs

Walking up three flights of stairs three times a day has been shown to improve your cardiovascular health, aerobic fitness and the strength of your legs. As it’s backed by science, walk up and down the stairs when at home, always opt for the stairs instead of the lift and walk whenever you’re on an escalator instead of standing still.

• Take the stairs instead of the lift and walk when on an escalator. Start off small and build up your strength and speed.
• To progress, take stairs two at a time, increase your pace and add more flights of stairs. Carry your laundry basket, a rucksack or some shopping bags for extra weight and combine it with other exercises, such as doing a squat on every step.

Practise my desk reset

We’re all vulnerable to suffering from postural problems and “tech neck” from spending too much of our time hunched over our desk or slumped on the sofa. To counteract this, I came up with the “desk reset”. The movement reverses the rounding of the spine, improves posture and hopefully boosts confidence as well because it makes you sit a bit taller – and it only takes seconds.

• Bring your shoulders up to your ears. Then move them backwards and down (as if you’ve drawn a desk shape with your shoulders).
• Your shoulder blades should be set further down the spine, your chest should feel more open and your back should be nice and straight, with your neck in a relaxed neutral position to your spine.
• Do this move regularly while sitting at a desk or on the sofa.
• You can combine this with standing up from your seat and sitting down again to activate your leg muscles.

Do some sneaky bicep curl while you’re making calls

You can perform this exercise with dumbbells if you have them, or you could even use water bottles or tin cans. Squeeze this in while you’re on a call or virtual work meeting (seated with the camera off). This strengthens our upper body and the calves and is a great alternative to going for a walk, if you’re stuck at your desk.

• While seated, keep your elbows close to your sides and lengthen your arms (while holding weights) and then curl them towards your shoulders.
• Lift your arms up towards the sky, turning your palms away from you. Then bring them back to your shoulders and lengthen out to starting position.
• Lift and lower your heels during this movement.
• Do 15 repetitions for a 45-second workout, or more if you’re using light weights

Do some dips from the sofa while you watch television

You can build your upper body strength while sitting on the sofa through this exercise, which can also help with back and neck pain. Additionally, having more muscle puts you in a better position for weight management, as muscle is metabolically active – meaning it increases the number of calories we burn each day.

• Sit on the edge of the sofa and shuffle your body off, using your arm strength to help you to lower your body and bring yourself back up, while keeping the elbows facing back behind you and your fingers facing your body.
• You can try this with straight legs and bend them if the move is too tricky, which will take some weight off your arms.
• Do 10 repetitions during ad breaks while you’re watching television.

Try leg extensions while you’re having dinner

This is a hidden move that no one will even know you’re doing under the dinner table. You should feel your quadriceps engaging and it’s a really good move for knee pain, as it strengthens the muscles around the joint.

• Alternate lifting one leg off the ground and holding it straight to activate your thigh and quad muscles.
• To make this move more challenging, hold your leg straight for longer periods.

Do a few press-ups when waiting for the kettle to boil

Everytime I boil the kettle for a cup of tea or coffee, I do press ups against the counter surface. It’s a great example of a daily activity where you’re usually idle but can easily piggyback with exercise – you don’t even need to carve out any time. You could throw in some squats or star jumps as well. These elevated press-ups are much more accessible that doing them on the floor.

• Place your hands on the kitchen counter and lean forward. Keep your back straight and your core tight. Bring your chest between your hands, bend your arms at 90 degrees.
• Do 10 push-ups for a quick 45 second workout.

Try boxing with tin cans when you’ve got a spare moment in the kitchen

Punch all your worries away while walking, jogging or sprinting on the spot. This is great for cardiovascular health, so benefits your heart and lungs. Boxing is also the best stress reliever – it gets rids of all of your tension.

• March or jog while punching your arms out and holding tins or light dumbbells. Vary punches forwards, upwards and sideways.
• 45 seconds of this exercise should get you out of breath.

Destress when getting ready for bed

This pose drains all of the tension from your legs and improves blood flow while you relax on your bed or the floor with your legs against a wall. Additionally, studies have shown that this move encourages a better night’s sleep.

• Lie down on your back and try to get your bum as close to the headboard or a wall as possible, extending your legs up, perpendicular to the floor. Open your arms to the sides, palms up. Flex your feet for an added hamstring stretch.
• If this is too uncomfortable, scoot away from the headboard so your legs are at an easier angle.
• Hold the pose for 45 seconds, or for up to three minutes if you have time.

As told to Emily Craig

Lavina Mehta MBE is a fitness expert and author of The Feel Good Fix

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