Once upon a time, work was work and sitting down all day to do it was fine. Now, we hear “sitting is the new smoking!” and we’re encouraged to hack our everyday activities to ‘maximise’ our health and fitness.
This might appear to be a good idea – less than half of us meet official guidelines for physical activity of 150 minutes a week of aerobic activity plus muscle-strengthening activities twice a week. But why are we drawn to the latest Insta-trending shortcuts to get us there?
Fitness educator Tracy Minnoch-Nuku says there’s always been an element of trends to health and wellness, just like everything else. Right now, she notes, it’s all about “optimisation. Why just do one thing when you can do five? It feels like we are being really efficient when we do this”.
Fitness educator Tracy Minnoch-Nuku says seeing others jump in on a trend can make a person feel like they’re missing out on some benefits. (File image)
Scroll through social media and you’ll likely find a reel promoting hot cross buns as a good pre-workout snack. Two sports dieticians share their thoughts, along with what and when to eat before exercising.
Minnoch-Nuku reckons there’s an element of FOMO (fear of missing out), too; that very human feeling of peer pressure. “If you’re out walking, for example, and you see six other people wearing a weighted vest, you might feel ‘oh, what am I missing out on?'”
So are we missing out if we’re not optimising too? Here’s what the experts and the evidence says on some current trends.
Walking pads
The claims: These simplified treadmills are promoted as a space-saving way to get more movement into everyday desk-based tasks. Marketers claim they can boost fitness and encourage weight loss.
The evidence: There’s been surprisingly little research on walking pads. A 2024 Mayo Clinic study looking at active workstations – including walking pads – found they work to reduce sedentary time and improve mental cognition at work without reducing job performance.
A typical office walking pad won’t get your heart rate pumping – they’re not designed for going fast or running. (file image)
123RF / Olga Yastremska
Psychology Today recommends walking pads for people with ADHD, who may find walking can help reduce stress and anxiety and improve emotional regulation. And there’s plenty of evidence for walking in general. Studies have found regular walking – especially when we get the heart rate up a bit – is good for cardiovascular health, overall wellbeing and improved mental health outcomes, including reductions in depression, anxiety and stress.
Are walking pads worth trying?
A typical office walking pad won’t get your heart rate pumping – they’re not designed for going fast or running – but it will let you move when you otherwise wouldn’t be, which experts say can only be a good thing.
Professor Robin Daly, head of exercise and ageing at Deakin University, says doing any movement – especially if you’re going from being inactive – is good.
“Walking’s great for cardiovascular health and everyone finds walking really easy,” he says. “But we also need to introduce some muscle strengthening activities within our programme for long-term benefit.” Don’t use a walking pad as a substitute for regular, challenging exercise.
Doing small amounts of exercise throughout the day can be beneficial.
Andrej Lišakov / Unsplash
Instead of a walking pad, Daly suggests what he calls ‘activity snacking’. “They’re activities you can do any time: squats, lunges, etc – do a few whenever you like throughout the day.”
Weighted vests
The claims: The midlife woman’s new accessory, weighted vests are promoted as a muscle-building, bone-boosting, fat-loss life hack. Wear it around the house, while exercising or walking, they say, to get stronger and fitter and to improve your bone health.
Wellington lawyer Lucy, 48, says she’s using a vest for walks around the Wellington hills because a doctor recommended it for her bone density “at my age and stage”. After five months, she reports improvements in her fitness.
“It makes your legs work harder and makes you use your core. And it definitely increases your heart rate.”
The evidence: So far, despite the claims being made, the evidence for weighted vest hasn’t quite matched up with the hype. There have been some studies in older people which found muscle strength and fitness were improved when a weighted vest was added to other exercise.
People on weight-loss diets might find a vest helps maintain muscle power and strength, but not muscle mass. The jury is out on bone health benefits; so far the evidence doesn’t show that exercising with a weighted vest helps boost bone health.
Are weighted vests worth trying?
Experts say if you like wearing your vest, carry on – it might offer a fitness boost. But it’s no substitute for what we know works for muscle growth and bone health: progressive, challenging weight training with increases in weights over time, combined with jumping and other exercise with impact to build bone density.
Weight training with increases in weights over time, combined with jumping and other exercise with impact help bone density and muscle growth. (file image)
Unsplash / John Arano
Dr Lauren Colenso-Semple, an exercise physiologist who specialises in women and exercise, says weighted vests are often promoted by doctors and influencers who also sell them, and therefore benefit financially.
“The research absolutely doesn’t support the way that they are marketed,” she stresses. “Walking with a vest is not beneficial for muscle. It’s not a substitute for strength training. It’s also not beneficial for bone, and it won’t help boost fat loss.
“If you want to wear a weighted vest to do squats and lunges as your resistance, then that’s fine,” says Colenso-Semple. “But you need a progression element – you’re going to need a heavier and a heavier vest over time as you get stronger.”
Colenso-Semple says she is “very nervous about this trend, because it’s selling women this one-stop-shop for fitness. All you need is the weighted vest and you’re good to go. And the data just does not support those claims”.
Proffee (protein coffee)
The claims: It’s not enough to drink regular coffee any more. Now, the influencers say, you can maximise your morning break with a combination of coffee and protein powder for a muscle and metabolism boost, increased satiety and an energy kick.
Influencers have been promoting a combination of coffee and protein powder to start the day before workouts. (file image)
Unsplash / Kelly Sikkema
The evidence: There are no studies of proffee specifically. But there’s good evidence that protein is useful for muscle maintenance and growth. Colenso-Semple says some of the emphasis on protein is overstated; protein intakes between 1.2g and 1.6g per kilo of body weight are ideal.
“There is a real benefit of doing that. After that, we see diminishing returns. And so when you see claims like one gram per pound [2.2 grams per kilo], those are way, way, way too high. It’s conceivable that if you’re trying to really maximise your muscle growth, maybe going to 1.4 or 1.6 grams per kilogram might be reasonable.”
Over 1.6 grams per kilo, the benefits are minimal, though not dangerous, provided you don’t have any kidney issues.
Similarly, caffeine is a stimulant, and has been shown to improve concentration, focus and energy, and can boost exercise performance during a workout. There’s a sweet spot, though; it’s recommended we limit caffeine to 400mg a day – about the content of four double-shot coffees.
Is protein coffee worth trying?
Most people can attain the recommended protein intake from their meals. (file image)
Unsplash / Curated Lifestyle
Colenso-Semple says that getting around 1.4 grams per kilogram of protein, for most people, is achievable with a high-quality protein source at every meal. “If you struggle with that, adding in a protein shake – which might give you another 25 grams of protein – might be helpful.”
Adding protein powder to your coffee is one way of doing this. Protein powders with lower sugar levels are ideal. And remember: simply eating protein doesn’t grow muscle. It needs to be paired with strength training, which offers the stimulus muscles need. If you’re looking for an energy boost, relying on caffeine alone is not ideal, and having it later in the day could interfere with sleep.
Optimisation: is it worth it?
While none of these trends is likely to be harmful, we may be missing out on other benefits by trying to optimise every activity. Minnoch-Nuku says we might improve our health more by being mindful and concentrating on doing one thing at a time.
“It’s okay to just exercise normally! And I actually think it’s healthier, because then you are more mindful around what you’re doing,” she says.
“So when you’re working, you’re working. When you’re exercising, you’re exercising; you’re tuning into your body. If you’re out for a walk, you’re possibly noticing what you are seeing in front of you. Mental health is an important goal for exercise, as well.
“You’re better off doing strength training to build your bones,” she recommends, “and going out for a walk for cardiovascular fitness and mindfulness and enjoyment, versus always trying to optimise your life.”
*Niki Bezzant is a writer, speaker, journalist and author focusing on health, wellbeing and science.
If you have any health concerns, injuries or medical conditions, make sure you get the all-clear from your doctor before starting any exercise programme.
– Published by EveningReport.nz and AsiaPacificReport.nz, see: MIL OSI in partnership with Radio New Zealand