Exercise snacks: the best bursts of activity to incorporate into your day

Bodyweight exercises, such as squats, can be easily incorporated into your day. Studio Romantic/ Shutterstock

Your fitness tracker might be telling you that you need 10,000 steps, 30 minutes of cardio or even an hour at the gym every day. But what if you could improve your health in just a few minutes a day? A growing body of research suggests you can.

“Exercise snacks” are brief bursts of vigorous exercise, typically lasting one minute or less, scattered throughout your day. Think climbing a few flights of stairs...