Even if you’re light on spare time, Dr. Rhonda Patrick has a fitness trick that could reduce all-cause mortality by a staggering 40 percent. In a recent YouTube video, Dr. Patrick discussed two-minute ‘exercise snacks’ that can be performed anywhere for improved metabolic health and glucose control.
With appearances on the Joe Rogan Experience and other high-profile podcasts, Dr. Patrick has become a trusted voice in the fitness community. From exercise science to nutrition, she breaks down information in a simple yet thought-provoking manner. This time, she took a closer look at how short-duration exercise can provide a wealth of benefits including improved longevity.
“I want to shift gears for a minute and talk about exercise snacks. So, we’re going to talk about improving metabolic health but also longevity and exercise snacks.
It’s kind of a broader term but it really can refer to a deliberate type of exercise you do for one minute, two minutes, three minutes, this is anything from burpees to squats. You can do high knees, you can do a variety of different things to get your heart rate up really high in a short period of time.”
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Dr. Rhonda Patrick Discusses Longevity-Inspired 2-Minute ‘Exercise Snacks’ for Metabolic Health Benefits
According to Dr. Patrick. these two-minute ‘exercise snacks’ should result in at least 75 percent of max heart rate. She adds that studies have supported a notable metabolic benefit from this type of activity.
“We’re talking at least 75 percent max heart rate,” adds Dr. Patrick. “There are studies showing that there is a real metabolic benefit to even doing a minute or two of this exercise snack type of exercise. That again comes down to lactate. You’re forcing your muscles to work really hard. Lactate gets into circulation, it gets taken back up by the muscle and it causes glucose transporters to come up to the muscle and open the gates so glucose can come in.”
Moreover, Patrick indicated that exercise snacks can improve blood glucose levels, adding that performing them anywhere between 30 minutes to an hour after a meal can have substantial health benefits.
“This really improves blood glucose levels. There’s been a lot of studies looking at this, particularly with people who have type 2 diabetes, doing exercise snacks around mealtime, so anywhere between 30 minutes to an hour before or after a meal can really dramatically decrease the post-prandial glucose response.”
In addition to glucose control benefits, exercise snacks have also been linked with enhanced longevity. Whether you’re sprinting up a flight of stairs or breaking up sedentary time with jumping jacks, these all count as exercise snacks.
“Exercise snacks have also been associated with improved longevity. So, there’s another type of exercise snack that’s a little bit more of taking advantage of everyday situations. It’s called vigorous intermittent lifestyle activity. These types of exercises are like let’s say you work on the fourth floor of some office building, so rather than just walking up the stairs every day which is better than taking the elevator, you sprint,” shares Dr. Rhonda Patrick.
Those who performed two minutes of vigorous-intensity exercise three times a day saw a 40 percent reduction in all-cause mortality.
“People that do one to two minutes of vigorous-intensity exercise three times a day had about a 40 percent reduction in all-cause mortality,” explains Dr. Patrick.
“And a 50 percent reduction in cardiovascular-related mortality which is the number one killer in most developed nations. This is again, one to two minutes three times a day. You’re doing those exercise snacks, it adds up.”
Dr. Patrick believes exercise snacks are an effective tool for mitigating the downsides of a sedentary lifestyle.
“Being sedentary is an independent risk factor for cancer. So, there is reason to break up your sedentary time with exercise snacks. Again, these would be a deliberate thing that you can do.”
Bodybuilding great and health expert Arnold Schwarzenegger has also been candid about the benefits of rigorous exercise. He believes resistance training and aerobic exercise are crucial to living a longer and healthier life.
“The current recommendation is to get 150 to 300 min of moderate-intensity exercise or 75 to 150 minutes of vigorous-intensity exercise per week. So any movement is better than no movement, but the more you’re able to push the intensity a few times per week, the more your body will thank you in the long run.”
Slowing the aging process has also remained a top priority for physician and health expert Dr. Peter Attia. He recently shared his longevity routine, including supplements and an intense training regimen.
“Four hours of zone two a week with one sort of higher intensity workout that’s geared towards Vo2 max a week and then four strength training a week. So that’s kind of the foundational pillar of everything I do.”
Regarding health optimization and longevity, Dr. Patrick believes two-minute snack workouts offer its users a wealth of advantages, especially for aging and mitigating the drawbacks of a sedentary lifestyle.
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