Weston Kathryn L, Little Jonathan P, Weston Matthew, McCreary Sara, Kitchin Vanessa, Gill Amrit, Niven Ailsa, McNarry Melitta A, Mackintosh Kelly A
Department of Psychological Sciences and Health, University of Strathclyde, Glasgow, UK.
School of Health and Exercise Sciences, University of British Columbia, Okanagan, Kelowna, British Columbia, Canada.
Sports Med Open. 2025 Mar 18;11(1):27. doi: 10.1186/s40798-025-00829-6.
Interest in 'exercise snacks' has increased, yet a comprehensive and holistic review of this novel concept is lacking. We aimed to map global research on 'exercise snacks', across youth, adult and clinical populations through a scoping review.
A systematic search was conducted in six databases. Grey literature searches were also conducted. Studies whereby participants were prescribed a structured bout of intense exercise dispersed across the day, or the exercise was explicitly defined as a form of 'snacks', in any setting were included. We used the Consensus on Exercise Reporting Template (CERT) to assess the completeness of exercise descriptions. Data were recorded into spreadsheets, then descriptively analyzed and summarized in graphic form.
The 45 publications meeting our inclusion criteria represented 33 original studies. These 33 studies enrolled a total of 1118 participants, with a median sample size of 24. Studies were categorized as either acute (n = 12) or chronic (n = 21) trials with both trial types performed across a wide range of participant ages (range 8.7 to 78 years) but mostly conducted on healthy adults and older adults. The majority of studies (20/33) defined the concept as 'exercise snacks', with study context being predominantly the laboratory or home. A wide variety of exercise modes (e.g., cycling, stair climbing, body weight exercises) and comparator conditions (e.g., moderate intensity continuous exercise, prolonged sitting, non-exercise controls) were used. 'Exercise snack' intensity was prescribed more frequently than it was reported, and, of the available data, mean intensity was estimated at 76.9% of maximal heart rate and 5.2 Arbitrary Units (AU) on the Ratings of Perceived Exertion (RPE) CR10 scale. Study outcome measures were predominantly cardiovascular, metabolic, muscular, and psychological, with studies mostly adhering to the CERT, though there was underreporting of detail for the exercise provider, motivation strategies, adverse events and intervention fidelity.
The 'exercise snack' concept is being increasingly used to cover an array of exercise models. The most common protocols to date utilize body weight exercises or stair climbing. We recommend 'exercise snacks' terminology is consistently used to describe protocols whereby short, purposeful structured exercise is dispersed throughout the day. Future studies should provide detailed descriptions of their 'exercise snacks' model, through exercise and adverse event reporting checklists.
人们对“运动零食”的兴趣日益增加，但缺乏对这一新颖概念的全面综合综述。我们旨在通过范围综述，梳理全球针对青少年、成年人和临床人群的“运动零食”研究。
在六个数据库中进行了系统检索。还进行了灰色文献检索。纳入的研究需满足在任何环境下，参与者进行了分散在一天中的结构化高强度运动，或者该运动被明确界定为“零食”形式。我们使用运动报告模板共识（CERT）来评估运动描述的完整性。数据记录到电子表格中，然后进行描述性分析并以图表形式总结。
符合我们纳入标准的45篇出版物代表了33项原创研究。这33项研究共纳入1118名参与者，样本量中位数为24。研究分为急性试验（n = 12）或慢性试验（n = 21），两种试验类型均在广泛的参与者年龄范围内进行（范围为8.7至78岁），但大多针对健康成年人和老年人。大多数研究（20/33）将该概念定义为“运动零食”，研究背景主要是实验室或家庭。使用了多种运动模式（如骑自行车、爬楼梯、体重训练）和对照条件（如中等强度持续运动、长时间坐着、非运动对照）。“运动零食”的强度规定比报告的更为频繁，在现有数据中，平均强度估计为最大心率的76.9%，在自觉用力程度（RPE）CR10量表上为5.2任意单位（AU）。研究结果测量主要是心血管、代谢、肌肉和心理方面的，研究大多遵循CERT，不过运动提供者、动机策略、不良事件和干预保真度的细节报告不足。
“运动零食”概念正越来越多地用于涵盖一系列运动模式。迄今为止最常见的方案是使用体重训练或爬楼梯。我们建议始终使用“运动零食”术语来描述将短时间、有目的的结构化运动分散在一天中的方案。未来的研究应通过运动和不良事件报告清单，详细描述其“运动零食”模式。
