Exercise Snacks: Cardio Breaks

Most cardio assumes two things: that you have the time, and that you're already fit enough to survive it. Exercise Snacks assumes neither.

As little as 3 intense bursts of cardio distributed across your day can measurably improve your cardiovascular fitness and counteract the effects of prolonged sitting.

Peer-reviewed research found that a few hard efforts per day, spaced roughly an hour apart, produced a 5% improvement in VO₂peak (a measure of cardiovascular fitness) after just 6 weeks in previously inactive adults*.

These aren't mobility or strength exercises - it's cardio that significantly elevates your heart rate. High in intensity, short in duration, and fits anywhere, anytime.

How it works

Set your hours, your days, how many snacks a day, and how long each one lasts - anywhere from 15 seconds to a minute. The app schedules them automatically, spaced through your window.

When it's time, you get a notification. Snooze it if you're mid-something. Otherwise you get a cue card with your move and the effort you're aiming for, a countdown, and then you're done and back to work. No kit, no gym, no shower.

Pick a move

Five are built in - stair climbs, sit to stand, air squats, running on the spot and star jumps - and you can add your own. Your next one shows on the home screen, so there's nothing to decide when the reminder lands. Want a lead-in? Switch on the optional 15-second warm-up.

On Apple Watch

The biggest risk with any reminder-based habit is ignoring the reminder. A phone notification is easy to dismiss at your desk. A tap on your wrist is not.

Count in and run a snack from your wrist, with daily progress at a glance, so you can leave your phone at your desk. With your permission the watch records your peak heart rate for the effort, and saves each completed snack to Apple Health as a High Intensity Interval Training workout - so it counts towards your Activity rings.

Every burst logged

The time, the duration, how hard it felt, and your peak heart rate if you were wearing your watch. Tap any day to open everything you did that day.

See every week

Your history is recorded either way, and it stays on your phone. This week sits on the home screen; Exercise Snacks Pro opens up everything before it - every past week in the grid you already use, any day in detail, your running totals, and which moves you actually reach for.

This week's grid, every snack, the whole watch app and all the science stay free.

Private by design

No account, no server, no analytics, and no networking code of our own - your data stays on your iPhone and Apple Watch. The one thing that reaches the network is Apple's StoreKit, which handles the subscription and carries none of your data.

Who it's for

If you're a sedentary worker, low on fitness or time-constrained, this app can help. It can offset the effects of prolonged sitting and build cardiovascular fitness in a way that's actually maintainable. The evidence behind it is in the app, under Settings → About.

Exercise Snacks involves vigorous physical activity. If you have a heart condition, are pregnant, or have been inactive for a long time, consult your doctor before starting.

Islam H, Gibala MJ, Little JP. Exercise Snacks: A Novel Strategy to Improve Cardiometabolic Health. Exerc Sport Sci Rev. 2022;50(1):31-37. doi:10.1249/JES.0000000000000275

Exercise Snacks Pro is £2.99/month or £24.99/year, each with a 2-week free trial for new subscribers. Payment is charged to your Apple Account at confirmation of purchase. It renews automatically unless cancelled at least 24 hours before the end of the current period; manage or cancel it any time in your Apple Account settings. Any unused portion of a free trial is forfeited when you buy a subscription.

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