01/05/2026
Regular daily movement vs short bursts of structured exercise. Which is better? 🤔
So can we compare a one hour weight lifting session, followed by 8-10 hours of sitting (commute to and from work, sitting at work, sitting for dinner and sitting to watch TV before bed) to a day filled with a variety of movement and interchanging periods of sitting, standing and walking? Which is better for us?
Well a recent podcast by creates a discussion around the value of one over the other.
Purposeful, short bursts of intense exercise definitely hold so many benefits for strength, power, aerobic fitness, injury management, rehabilitation, coordination etc. If this involves a team sport or time outside, add too the benefits of vitamin D and social interactions.
If this only occurs 1-3 times per week, and the rest of the time is spent sedentary, then it can't possibly compare to the benefits of regularly exposing our bodies daily to a wide variety of movements and postures - through daily tasks, household duties, looking after kids and pets and communting that involves walking,cycling etc.
A great analogy from the podcast suggests thinking of -
Purposeful exercise/sport/movement as a VITAMIN for our body - taken once daily to support our health versus
Regular, varied movement as the NUTRITION for our body. Containing a wide variety of tasks to stimulate muscle growth, balance, blood flow, mobility, social interactions, cardiovascular health etc
In short, a life filled with varied daily movement AND structured movement 1-3 times per week serves us, our bodies and our minds the best.
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