Recruiting

Exercise Snacking

Sponsor:

University of Wisconsin, River Falls

Code:

NCT07718113

Conditions

Physical Inactivity

Sedentary Behavior

Cardiometabolic Health

Eligibility Criteria

Sex: All

Age: 18 - 60

Healthy Volunteers: Accepted

Interventions

Exercise Snacking

Study Details

Brief summary:

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

Conditions

Physical Inactivity

Sedentary Behavior

Cardiometabolic Health

Study ID

NCT07718113

Start date

Aug 1, 2026

Status verified date

Jul, 2026

Completion date

Dec 31, 2027

Anticipated

Primary completion date

Dec 31, 2027

Anticipated

Eligibility Criteria

Eligibility Criteria

Sex: All

Age: 18 - 60

Healthy Volunteers: Accepted

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.

Study Design

Enrollment

60 participants

Anticipated

Allocation

Randomized

Intervention Model

Parallel Assignment

Primary purpose

Basic Science

Interventions and Outcome Measures

Arms

experimental: Exercise Snacking

Participants assigned to the exercise snacking group will complete a 12-week intervention consisting of multiple brief bouts (approximately 1-3 minutes each) of moderate-to-vigorous physical activity performed throughout the day. Participants will receive written instructions, examples of appropriate exercise snacks, and periodic check-ins to support adherence. The intervention is designed to increase daily physical activity by integrating short bouts of exercise into normal daily routines.

no intervention: Usual Behavior Control

Participants assigned to the control group will continue their usual daily activities for 12 weeks and will not receive instruction regarding exercise snacking or any structured physical activity program during the intervention period. They will complete the same outcome assessments as participants in the intervention group.

Interventions

Exercise Snacking

Participants assigned to the intervention group will complete multiple brief bouts of moderate-to-vigorous physical activity throughout each day for 12 weeks. Each exercise snack will typically last approximately 1-3 minutes and may include activities such as stair climbing, brisk walking, repeated sit-to-stands, body-weight squats, or other moderate-to-vigorous activities that can be incorporated into daily routines. Participants will receive standardized written instructions, examples of exercise snacks, and periodic follow-up visits to monitor adherence and reinforce study procedures.

Primary outcome measure

  • Moderate-to-Vigorous Physical Activity [ Time Frame: Baseline, Week 12, and Week 24 ]

Central Contacts and Locations

Central contacts

Gregory Ruegsegger, PhD

715-425-4945gregory.ruegsegger@uwrf.edu

Ricky Lopez, MS

715-425-4138ricky.lopez@uwrf.edu

Locations

University of Wisconsin-River Falls

Recruiting

River Falls, Wisconsin, United States, 54022

Contacts

Gregory Ruegsegger, PhD

715-425-4945gregory.ruegsegger@uwrf.edu

Ricky Lopez, MS

715-425-4138ricky.lopez@uwrf.edu

Principal Investigator:

Gregory Ruegsegger, PhD

More Information

Sponsor

University of Wisconsin, River Falls

Last update posted

Jul 23, 2026

Last verified

Jul, 2026

Keywords

  • exercise snacking
  • physical activity
  • aerobic fitness
  • behavioral intervention
  • exercise motivation
  • physical activity maintenance
  • randomized controlled trial

Trial information was received from ClinicalTrials.gov and was last updated on 2026-09-10. This information was provided to ClinicalTrials.gov by University of Wisconsin, River Falls on 2026-07-23.