Exercise Snacks

By Michell Hampson

When it comes to getting into the groove of a new exercise routine, a little bit of support can go a long way.  Exercise Snacks — a new Walking to Wellness plan from the Kidney Wellness Hub — aims to help people with kidney disease along their fitness journey, one step at a time. 

For Janice Hannay, a kidney patient based in Victoria, BC, the program has helped her gradually increase the amount of exercise she does each week and feel good about achieving her fitness goals. 

“I don’t feel bad about what I can’t do – I feel good about what I can do.”

The exercise snacks were designed by Joey Ficocelli, in his senior year as a kinesiologist student. Having previously worked closely with those living with kidney disease on a research project, he became familiar with the unique challenges they face when exercising. He wanted to create a simple plan to help anyone struggling to meet the Canadian guidelines. 

He specifically designed the plan to be easy for anyone to follow. It uses the concept of exercise snacks, which are brief exercise sessions that should be done after meals, making it easier to create a healthy lifestyle habit. There are twelve bi-weekly progressions, so it can be customized to meet people wherever they are starting with their activity level. Participants using the exercise snack plan will meet the Canadian Guidelines with just ten minutes of walking after each main meal five days a week.“Everyone can benefit from breaking up prolonged periods of sitting throughout the day,” explains Joey. “We know that breaking up the prolonged periods of sitting is actually more effective than just exercising for, say, one hour a day.”

Hannay notes that fatigue is the symptom that hinders her the most from exercising, yet exercise snacks are still possible despite this challenge. Importantly, the plan involves bi-weekly check-ins with Joey and other kinesiology students, who talk about the benefits of exercise, go over the exercises, address any challenges participants may be experiencing, and provide extra encouragement. 

Hannay says that while other exercise programs were too challenging and beyond her level, the opposite is true with the Walking to Wellness exercise snacks plan. “It’s just so flexible and fits into my day,” she says, noting, “It’s so important for my motivation, because it’s achievable.”