Bodyweight Squats as Exercise Snacks, for Blood Sugar Control and Cognitive Performance
- Alastair Hunt
- Dec 22, 2024
- 5 min read
Updated: 1 day ago
Brief, intense bursts of activity, often called exercise snacks, offer a potent strategy to mitigate the health risks associated with our sedentary lifestyles. Bodyweight squats, the focus of this article, do not even require leaving the room and provide proven health benefits.
As ever, please talk to your doctor or medical practitioner most familiar with your medical history before implementing any changes in diet, exercise or lifestyle, especially if you are under treatment. A personal trainer can also help with technique and specific skills. Links to all studies at bottom of page.
Squats and the Science
Blood Sugar Control
Squats may be more effective than walking alone for improving blood sugar control during long periods of sitting. In one study, frequent squat breaks reduced post-meal glucose levels more than a single 30-minute walk. This is likely because squats activate large muscle groups like the glutes and quadriceps more intensely and frequently, helping the body use glucose more efficiently.
Specifically they found that performing 10 bodyweight squats every 45 minutes during an 8.5 hour period of sitting improved blood sugar regulation more effectively than a single 30 minute walk.Â
Could you practice this protocol, working from home or at the office. What if you could safely increase the number of squats or frequency?
Cognitive Performance
And in a study by Horiuchi et al "We assessed executive function, cardiovascular, and cerebrovascular responses during 3-h prolonged sitting... These results demonstrated the efficacy of a half-squat intervention for individuals seeking to preserve cognition during prolonged sitting, which may be useful in environments with limited resources such as the workplace."Â
Specifically this group practised:
Every 20 minutes during a 3-hour seated period, they completed one minute of continuous half-squats at a steady pace of one repetition every four seconds (15 reps per minute), guided by a metronome.
Each squat began from a standing position with arms crossed over the chest, lowering to a 90-degree knee bend.
Importantly, participants were instructed not to pause at the bottom of the movement to avoid isometric strain, ensuring a smooth, dynamic motion throughout.
Those who did the squats improved their mental performance, with reaction times on tests of executive function being 3.5% faster, while those who remained still became 4.2% slower. Another test showed squat participants completed tasks 10% faster, compared to an 8.8% slower completion rate for those who didn’t move. Concentration levels also dropped less in the squat group (9.2% decrease vs. 28.7% decrease for the sedentary group), and mental fatigue increased less (157% vs. 285%).
Why? These improvements were linked to better blood flow to the brain. This research suggests that adding short, simple exercises like squats during prolonged sitting can significantly boost brain function, reduce fatigue and help maintain focus.
Final Thoughts
Short bursts of activity provide powerful benefits that we can all access. Mastering the squat is not just about exercise, it’s about reclaiming a natural human movement that underpins physical freedom. This foundational skill supports strength, function and independence throughout life. Explore a basic bodyweight squat programme here.
For most people, improving health is about finding motivation and prioritising self-care with an ultimate goal of taking action. If you want to take effective and targeted steps that fit into your unique lifestyle, The Whole Health Practice is here to help.
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Stay Healthy,
Alastair
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Related Studies
Horiuchi M, Pomeroy A, Horiuchi Y, Stone K, Stoner L. Effects of intermittent exercise during prolonged sitting on executive function, cerebrovascular, and psychological response: a randomized crossover trial. J Appl Physiol (1985). 2023 Dec 1;135(6):1421-1430. doi: 10.1152/japplphysiol.00437.2023. Epub 2023 Nov 9. PMID: 37942532.
Gao Y, Li QY, Finni T, Pesola AJ. Enhanced muscle activity during interrupted sitting improves glycemic control in overweight and obese men. Scand J Med Sci Sports. 2024 Apr;34(4):e14628. doi: 10.1111/sms.14628. PMID: 38629807.
Other
Wan KW, Dai ZH, Wong PS, Huang WY, Lei EF, Little JP, Lin FC, Tam BT. Effects of Exercise Snacks on Cardiometabolic Health and Body Composition in Adults: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis. Scand J Med Sci Sports. 2025 Aug;35(8):e70114. doi: 10.1111/sms.70114. PMID: 40814152; PMCID: PMC12354995.
Koemel NA, Ahmadi MN, Biswas RK, Koster A, Atkin AJ, Sabag A, Stamatakis E. Can incidental physical activity offset the deleterious associations of sedentary behaviour with major adverse cardiovascular events? Eur J Prev Cardiol. 2025 Jan 6;32(1):77-85. doi: 10.1093/eurjpc/zwae316. PMID: 39325719.
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Stamatakis E, Ahmadi MN, Friedenreich CM, Blodgett JM, Koster A, Holtermann A, Atkin A, Rangul V, Sherar LB, Teixeira-Pinto A, Ekelund U, Lee IM, Hamer M. Vigorous Intermittent Lifestyle Physical Activity and Cancer Incidence Among Nonexercising Adults: The UK Biobank Accelerometry Study. JAMA Oncol. 2023 Sep 1;9(9):1255-1259. doi: 10.1001/jamaoncol.2023.1830. PMID: 37498576; PMCID: PMC10375384.
Moore DR, Williamson EP, Hodson N, Estafanos S, Mazzulla M, Kumbhare D, Gillen JB. Walking or body weight squat "activity snacks" increase dietary amino acid utilization for myofibrillar protein synthesis during prolonged sitting. J Appl Physiol (1985). 2022 Sep 1;133(3):777-785. doi: 10.1152/japplphysiol.00106.2022. Epub 2022 Aug 11. PMID: 35952344.
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Homer AR, Taylor FC, Dempsey PC, Wheeler MJ, Sethi P, Townsend MK, Grace MS, Green DJ, Cohen ND, Larsen RN, Kingwell BA, Owen N, Dunstan DW. Frequency of Interruptions to Sitting Time: Benefits for Postprandial Metabolism in Type 2 Diabetes. Diabetes Care. 2021 Jun;44(6):1254-1263. doi: 10.2337/dc20-1410. Epub 2021 Apr 26. PMID: 33905343; PMCID: PMC8247505.
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