Exercise Snacking and Cardiometabolic Health

Regular physical activity is associated with numerous health benefits, yet many young adults do not achieve recommended levels of physical activity. Exercise snacking, which involves performing brief bouts of physical activity throughout the day, may provide a practical alternative to traditional exercise programs by making physical activity easier to incorporate into daily routines. This randomized controlled trial will evaluate whether a 12-week exercise snacking intervention improves physical activity levels, aerobic fitness, cardiometabolic health, and psychological well-being in insufficiently active young adults. Participants will be randomly assigned to either an exercise snacking intervention or a usual behavior control group. Assessments will be completed at baseline, after the 12-week intervention, and after an additional 12-week follow-up period to determine whether any changes are maintained after the intervention ends. The study will measure physical activity using wearable activity monitors and assess aerobic fitness, body composition, blood pressure, blood lipids, glucose, exercise motivation, affective responses to exercise, and mental well-being. The findings will help determine whether exercise snacking is an effective and sustainable strategy for improving health in young adults and may inform future physical activity recommendations and interventions

Inclusion Criteria: * Age 18-60 years. * Body mass index (BMI) ≥18.5 kg/m². * Insufficiently physically active, defined as generally not meeting current physical activity guidelines for moderate-to-vigorous physical activity. * Able to safely participate in moderate-to-vigorous physical activity as determined by study screening procedures, including completion of the Physical - Activity Readiness Questionnaire (PAR-Q+) and health history review. * Willing and able to provide written informed consent. * Willing to complete all study visits, wear activity monitors, and comply with study procedures. Exclusion Criteria: * Known cardiovascular, pulmonary, metabolic, neurological, orthopedic, or other medical conditions that would make participation in moderate-to-vigorous physical activity unsafe. * Resting heart rate \>100 beats/minute at screening. * Resting blood pressure \>160/100 mmHg at screening. * Clinically significant electrocardiogram (ECG) abnormalities identified during screening that require medical evaluation. * Current participation in regular structured physical activity that meets or exceeds recommended physical activity guidelines. * Physical limitations or injuries that preclude safe participation in the intervention or fitness testing. * Moderate-to-severe psychological distress or other mental health concerns identified during screening that require referral or would make study participation inappropriate. * Pregnancy or any other condition judged by the investigators to make participation unsafe or interfere with completion of study procedures.