I found the missing ingredient in your training.

It’s no secret that people simply aren’t moving as much as they once were. If you’re thinking to yourself, “I exercise, I move a lot, and I know a ton of other people who do, too”, I encourage you to Zoom out.

A recent report found that 25% of U.S. adults are physically inactive, with activity rates varying from coast to coast.

For those who are active, exercise and movement are often localized to a 1-hour exercise session, with the rest of the day spent sitting.

Our ancestors spent their days moving, grazing, farming, and hunting. Gyms didn’t exist. Their exercise was survival.

While 1-hour sessions are great, it’s not enough. The missing ingredient in most training plans is to take the same concepts from that 1-hour workout and sprinkle them throughout the rest of the day.

This method is what I like to call “movement snacks.”

Movement snacks (or micro sessions - whichever term you prefer), are little bursts of activity and movement completed throughout the day.

These micro sessions have several benefits, including improving longevity and reducing overall mortality risk by 25 to 30%, reducing cardiovascular-related mortality by 50% and cancer-related mortality by 40%. Remarkably, these significant health benefits are also seen in individuals who typically don't engage in regular exercise routines.

There are two types of exercise snacks: 

• Deliberate training - mobility work, jumping jacks, air squats, or high knees- can be done in just a few minutes.

• VILPAs - Standing for ‘vigorous intermittent lifestyle physical activities,’ they take advantage of everyday opportunities like sprinting up the stairs rather than walking, turning short walks into intensive bursts of vigorous activity, etc. https://

Here, Dr. Andy Galpin explains the data surrounding so-called exercise snacks and how they are known to markedly improve cardio-respiratory function during exercise of other types. Keep in mind this is not the only type of exercise; you would do it as a supplement to other types of training.

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There are a million different ways to introduce micro sessions into the day. One of my favorite ways is to perform EHOHs - Every Hour on the Hour.

I set an alarm to go off at the top of every hour. Assuming I’m not in a meeting (and sometimes even if I am), I’ll get up and do a quick series of movements.

For example, 1-3 Rounds of..

• :20-second Deep Squat Hold

• 8 alternating Cossack Squats

• 20 Pogo Jumps

This will only take a few minutes at most, but the investment return is huge! Heart rate elevation and cardiovascular health, mobility gains, mental clarity and focus, etc.

One key point to make about these sessions is that they shouldn’t leave you feeling overly fatigued. Ideally, you feel better afterward compared to when you started.

Similar to what Pavel T in “greasing the groove”, the goal here is not to build muscle or improve fitness necessarily. It’s to improve general health and longevity by incorporating more focused movement into out otherwise sedentary lives.

Remember, there are 24 hours in a day. Ideally, 7-8 of those hours are spent sleeping. What are you doing with the other 15-16? While a 1-hour workout is a good start, it’s the rest of the day where true longevity is built.

“A rolling stone gathers no moss.”

These micro-session movement snacks are a great way to ensure you’re getting more movement in and keeping the body feeling fresh and healthy.

If you’re curious as to how you can include micro sessions into your daily routine or looking for ideas on what a session may look like, reply to this email.

I’d be happy to help.

Until next time,

-Dr. Ryan