Americans love snacking. Unfortunately, the foods they do it with are usually not the best choices. According to a study in PLOS Global Public Health, the average U.S. adult consumes 400 to 500 calories of nutritionally empty quick bites two to three times a day.

Let's turn those snack attacks into good-for-you moments with exercise snacking.

That’s what we call short "bites" of activity such as squeezing a grip strengthener, doing inspiratory resistance training, lifting light hand weights for five minutes, or climbing a few flights of stairs.

If you substitute those moments of movement for eating ultra-processed carbs and drinking sugary beverages between meals, it will be life-changing.

A study in BMJ Sports Medicine found that for people who are having a hard time getting into the habit of daily exercise, snacking can grease the wheels.

In addition, twice daily short bouts of exertion have measurable health benefits. For younger people, they improve cardiovascular fitness; and for those 65 and older, they improve muscular endurance.

You're never too young or too old to benefit from shaking off your sedentary behavior in favor of a more active lifestyle.

As a teen and young adult, you can either fuel healthy aging or start down the road to an unhealthy older age.

And in your middle years (you hope they're the middle), it’s vital to preserve muscle strength and protect your brain from damage associated with excess weight, diabetes, chronic inflammation, and cardiovascular problems.