The Exercise Snack Report 2027 is our first study. Right after a Wakeout routine, the app asks one question: “Do you feel better?” Between April 23, 2026 and October 27, 2026, people answered it 112,031 times. Here is what they said, next to what the public research says about sitting, exercise snacks and how we feel.
By Pedro Wunderlich, Co-founder · Published
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“Do you feel better?”
At a glance
01
Of 112,031 check-ins, 73.5% said Yes and 24.7% said A little. Only 1.8% said No. Counting every person equally, so the most loyal users don't tip the scale: 60.9% Yes, 34.9% A little, 4.2% No.
02
The typical routine took 2 min 3 s. 65.9% took three minutes or less, and 85.8% five minutes or less. These are true exercise snacks, not workouts.
03
For all 7 goals we could compare, standing routines got more Yes answers than seated ones: 83.8% vs 69.9% for energy, 70.9% vs 56.7% for stress. Seated breaks still helped: almost nobody said No.
04
When people asked for energy, 78.4% said “YES! Energized!”. Pain relief (53.9% Yes) and winding down (52.6% Yes) more often got “A little”: relief builds more slowly than energy.
05
After someone's very first routine, 52.4% said Yes. Among people past their 300th routine it was 79.1%. Following the same 233 people from their first ten check-ins to their hundredth, Yes rose from 69.8% to 74.7%.
06
Routines picked for the desk got 74.6% Yes, the most of any place (living room 67.7%, bedroom 63.5%). The place we sit most is where a break is felt most.
07
The busiest hour was 10 AM, with 9.9% of all check-ins. The share of Yes answers held at 72.3% to 76.5% from 7 AM to 8 PM, then dipped to 66.6% at 10 PM, when many people choose calm, sleepy routines.
08
In each of the 12 countries with at least 40 people, an average person's answers were Yes or A little at least 87% of the time, from the United States to China, Germany, Mexico and Japan.
What we asked
When a routine ends, the app asks: “Do you feel better?” People tap Yes!, A little or No. If they had picked a goal before starting, the question names it: “Do you feel more energized?” (or focused, relaxed, relieved, and so on), with “YES! Energized!”, A little or No. Answering is optional.
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“Do you feel better?”
After picking a goal (21,586 check-ins)
“Do you feel more energized?”
Most people answered a handful of times, and a few loyal members answered hundreds of times. Those loyal members are happier with their breaks, which is why they keep going, so we show both views. Counted either way, at least 95 out of 100 answers were Yes or A little.
Share of answers. Top row: every check-in. Bottom row: every person counted equally.
| Group | Check-ins | People | Yes | A little | No |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| All check-ins | 112,031 | 5,019 | 73.5% | 24.7% | 1.8% |
| The average person | 5,019 | 60.9% | 34.9% | 4.2% |
Counted by person: 96.7% of people said Yes or A little in most of their check-ins.
Partly. People whose breaks didn't help them tend to stop, so long-time members are a happier group by definition. But the effect also shows inside the same people: the 233 people who reached at least 100 check-ins said Yes 69.8% of the time in their first ten, and 74.7% in their 91st to 100th.
Share of answers, by how many routines the person had finished at the time.
| Group | Check-ins | People | Yes | A little | No |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1st routine | 2,793 | 2,786 | 52.4% | 42.1% | 5.5% |
| 2nd to 5th | 5,649 | 2,097 | 59.5% | 36% | 4.5% |
| 6th to 20th | 9,286 | 1,374 | 66.3% | 30.7% | 3% |
| 21st to 50th | 10,125 | 867 | 69.7% | 28% | 2.3% |
| 51st to 100th | 10,551 | 673 | 71.3% | 26.8% | 1.9% |
| 101st to 300th | 20,601 | 747 | 71.8% | 26.7% | 1.5% |
| Past 300 | 53,026 | 493 | 79.1% | 19.7% | 1.2% |
When people picked a goal first, the question named it: “Do you feel more energized?”, “…more relaxed?”, “…more relieved?”. Energy, positivity and focus earned the most clear Yes answers. Pain relief and winding down earned the most “A little”. That fits what you'd expect: two minutes can wake you up, but a stiff back or a racing mind usually needs more than one go. Winding down also had the most No answers (8%): feeling sleepy on demand is hard.
Share of answers, by the goal picked before the routine.
| Group | Check-ins | People | Yes | A little | No |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Energy | 7,320 | 1,434 | 78.4% | 20.1% | 1.5% |
| Positivity | 1,164 | 489 | 66.5% | 31.4% | 2.1% |
| Focus | 2,801 | 861 | 65.9% | 32% | 2.2% |
| Recovery | 858 | 403 | 65.6% | 32.5% | 1.9% |
| Mobility | 2,833 | 799 | 64.2% | 33.9% | 1.9% |
| Less stress | 1,034 | 511 | 60% | 36.9% | 3.1% |
| Pain relief | 3,871 | 1,051 | 53.9% | 43.5% | 2.6% |
| Winding down | 1,705 | 704 | 52.6% | 39.5% | 8% |
When people picked a goal, they also told us where they were and whether they would sit or stand. For every goal we could compare, standing routines got more Yes answers. The gap was biggest for energy and stress. If you can't stand, seated breaks still work: across all seated routines, 2.6% said No.
Share of Yes answers for the same goal, standing vs sitting.
| Group | Standing: Yes | People | Sitting: Yes | People |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Energy | 83.8% | 919 | 69.9% | 845 |
| Positivity | 74.2% | 100 | 61.2% | 177 |
| Recovery | 71.4% | 175 | 61.8% | 220 |
| Focus | 71.1% | 390 | 63.2% | 658 |
| Less stress | 70.9% | 97 | 56.7% | 202 |
| Mobility | 67.9% | 482 | 60.6% | 403 |
| Winding down | 55.4% | 117 | 50.1% | 402 |
Breaks start around 6 AM, peak at 10 AM and stay high through the working afternoon. The share of Yes answers is steady through the day and dips late at night, when people choose calm routines to fall asleep.
Share of all check-ins, by the person's local hour.
| Local hour | Share of check-ins | Check-ins | People | Yes | A little | No |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 0h | 0.5% | 556 | 230 | 62.2% | 35.3% | 2.5% |
| 1h | 0.3% | 356 | 102 | 72.8% | 23% | 4.2% |
| 2h | 0.2% | 237 | 64 | 68.8% | 29.1% | 2.1% |
| 3h | 0.5% | 576 | 69 | 75.3% | 22.7% | 1.9% |
| 4h | 0.4% | 401 | 80 | 80.5% | 18.2% | 1.2% |
| 5h | 1% | 1,109 | 235 | 75.7% | 22.8% | 1.4% |
| 6h | 2.7% | 2,994 | 522 | 72.5% | 25.6% | 1.9% |
| 7h | 5.4% | 6,041 | 918 | 75.2% | 23.5% | 1.4% |
| 8h | 7.4% | 8,295 | 1,422 | 72.4% | 26% | 1.6% |
| 9h | 7.4% | 8,250 | 1,465 | 72.9% | 25.1% | 2% |
| 10h | 9.9% | 11,075 | 1,883 | 72.9% | 25.2% | 1.9% |
| 11h | 8.7% | 9,739 | 1,809 | 73.7% | 24.5% | 1.8% |
| 12h | 7% | 7,843 | 1,572 | 75.4% | 22.7% | 1.9% |
| 13h | 6.2% | 6,976 | 1,528 | 75.9% | 22.8% | 1.3% |
| 14h | 6.1% | 6,859 | 1,512 | 75.4% | 22.7% | 1.9% |
| 15h | 6% | 6,737 | 1,518 | 74.7% | 23.6% | 1.6% |
| 16h | 5% | 5,557 | 1,229 | 73.6% | 25.2% | 1.3% |
| 17h | 4.1% | 4,633 | 1,129 | 75.1% | 23.2% | 1.7% |
| 18h | 3.5% | 3,879 | 940 | 76.5% | 21.7% | 1.8% |
| 19h | 3.4% | 3,793 | 908 | 73.6% | 24.3% | 2.1% |
| 20h | 3.8% | 4,201 | 1,000 | 72.3% | 25.8% | 2% |
| 21h | 4% | 4,482 | 968 | 69.8% | 27.4% | 2.8% |
| 22h | 4.2% | 4,707 | 866 | 66.6% | 31% | 2.4% |
| 23h | 2.4% | 2,735 | 527 | 70.2% | 27.6% | 2.2% |
Share of Yes answers, by local hour. Hours with fewer than 500 people are faded.
Routines picked for the desk got 74.6% Yes, the most of any place (living room 67.7%, bedroom 63.5%). The place we sit most is where a break is felt most.
Share of answers, by the place picked before the routine.
| Group | Check-ins | People | Yes | A little | No |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| At a desk | 5,257 | 1,114 | 74.6% | 24% | 1.4% |
| In the kitchen | 469 | 204 | 71.2% | 27.5% | 1.3% |
| In the living room | 8,529 | 1,568 | 67.7% | 29.8% | 2.5% |
| In the bedroom | 4,396 | 1,034 | 63.5% | 32.8% | 3.7% |
Hip routines got the most clear Yes answers. For necks, backs, hands and feet, “A little” was nearly as common as Yes: a short break eases these, and doing it again matters.
Share of answers when the goal was pain relief, by area.
| Group | Check-ins | People | Yes | A little | No |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hips | 685 | 272 | 62.9% | 34.9% | 2.2% |
| Back | 911 | 443 | 53.2% | 44% | 2.7% |
| Tired eyes | 244 | 149 | 52.9% | 43.4% | 3.7% |
| Hands and wrists | 251 | 158 | 52.6% | 44.6% | 2.8% |
| Neck and shoulders | 1,498 | 616 | 52.1% | 45.6% | 2.3% |
| Feet | 282 | 185 | 46.5% | 50.7% | 2.8% |
In each of the 12 countries with at least 40 people, an average person's answers were Yes or A little at least 87% of the time, from the United States to China, Germany, Mexico and Japan.
Share of answers, every person counted equally. Countries with at least 40 people.
| Group | Check-ins | People | Yes | A little | No |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| United States | 71,533 | 3,136 | 60.4% | 35.7% | 3.8% |
| China | 4,071 | 320 | 62.2% | 33% | 4.8% |
| United Kingdom | 1,783 | 149 | 54.8% | 39.2% | 6% |
| Germany | 2,209 | 147 | 62.8% | 33.2% | 4% |
| Canada | 1,834 | 125 | 60.4% | 35.8% | 3.8% |
| Australia | 2,849 | 121 | 63.3% | 31.9% | 4.7% |
| Mexico | 2,292 | 116 | 72.6% | 25.6% | 1.8% |
| France | 1,699 | 86 | 60.4% | 36% | 3.6% |
| Japan | 3,225 | 80 | 59.3% | 35.7% | 5.1% |
| India | 873 | 55 | 58.2% | 34.7% | 7.1% |
| Netherlands | 1,070 | 51 | 69.8% | 26.8% | 3.4% |
| Italy | 3,338 | 45 | 62% | 25.8% | 12.2% |
Day of the week barely mattered: Yes ranged from 72.6% (Friday) to 74.9% (Saturday).
The bigger picture
Our data is one piece. Here is the public evidence it sits next to. Every number below was read in the original paper or WHO release; the numbers in brackets point to the sources at the end.
1.8 billion
In 2022, 31% of adults worldwide (about 1.8 billion people) didn't meet WHO's minimum of 150 minutes of moderate activity a week, up from 23% in 2000. WHO expects 35% by 2030 if nothing changes. [1][2]
6.4 hours
US adults' daily sitting rose from 5.5 hours in 2007-08 to 6.4 hours in 2015-16, and one in four sits more than 8 hours a day. [3][4]
Any length
WHO's 2020 guidelines dropped the old rule that activity had to last at least 10 minutes to count. Bouts of any length now count, and replacing sitting with activity of any intensity, even light, brings health benefits. [5]
1 to 2 min
Among 25,241 UK adults who didn't exercise, about three 1 to 2 minute bursts a day of vigorous everyday activity (stairs, fast walking) were linked with a 38% to 40% lower risk of death from any cause. It's an association, not proof of cause. [6]
30 people
In a trial with 30 adults who sat most of the day, six 5-minute walks spread across the day improved mood and reduced fatigue; one 30-minute walk didn't. Our data is the everyday, large-scale version of that question. [7]
921 people
A 2026 meta-analysis pooled 21 exercise-snack trials: 921 people in total. A 2026 review of snacks for adults over 60 found 8 studies with 317 people. Our 5,019 people make this one of the largest real-world records of how a short movement break feels. [8][9]
No. The risk of long sitting is real but far smaller than smoking's, and researchers say the two aren't comparable [11]. The good news is that sitting is one of the easiest risks to break up.
How we did it
Every “Do you feel better?” answer given in the Wakeout iOS app (versions 100.14 to 100.17.2, iPhone and iPad) between April 23, 2026 and October 27, 2026: 112,031 answers from 5,019 people in 117 countries. In the same period, people finished 977,312 individual moves and skipped 154,366.
We used anonymous app analytics only: no names, no emails, no health data. Person IDs were replaced with one-way codes before analysis, and we publish only totals. Every group shown has at least 40 people. We left out 19 accounts belonging to the Wakeout team and staff testers.
Percentages are shares of answers unless a chart says “every person counted equally”: there, we first work out each person's own split of Yes, A little and No, then average those. Hours are the person's local time. Routine length comes from 20,924 routines in three sample weeks (May, July, September): the median was 2 min 3 s.
There is no control group: we don't know how people would have felt without the break. The people are Wakeout members who chose to move, and the ones who answer most are the ones it works for. It's one question, answered right after the routine, in an app that wants you to feel good. We think that is still useful: it's the largest record we know of how a two-minute break feels in daily life. It's not a clinical trial.
For journalists and researchers
You're welcome to quote, chart and republish these findings with a link to this page. For interviews, extra cuts of the data or a country breakdown, write to hello@wakeout.co.
Suggested citation
Wunderlich P. The Exercise Snack Report 2027: 112,031 check-ins on how a short movement break makes people feel. Wakeout; October 28, 2026. https://wakeout.app/exercise-snack-report-2027
Downloads
An exercise snack is a very short burst of movement, usually one to a few minutes, done during the day instead of (or as well as) a long workout. Climbing the stairs briskly, a two-minute walk or a quick set of squats all count. In this report, the typical Wakeout routine lasted 2 min 3 s.
In our data, people said they felt better after 98% of short breaks: 73.5% Yes and 24.7% A little, across 112,031 check-ins. Lab trials point the same way: in one, short walks spread across the day improved mood and reduced fatigue in adults who sat most of the day. Our study has no control group, so it shows how breaks feel, not what would have happened without them.
From the Wakeout iOS app. After a routine, the app asks “Do you feel better?” with three answers. We analysed every answer from April 23, 2026 to October 27, 2026: 112,031 check-ins from 5,019 people in 117 countries.
No. We used anonymous analytics with one-way codes in place of person IDs, published totals only, and showed no group smaller than 40 people. No names, emails or health records were used.
Yes, with a link to this page. The CSV has every number behind every chart, and the press contact is hello@wakeout.co.
Yes. We plan to publish a study every few months. The next one looks at how long people sit, using a question new members now answer when they join.
Wakeout is the movement app behind this data: short, playful routines from one minute, on iPhone, iPad, Mac and Apple Watch. Seven days free.
