Stop more to lose more.
Researchers have recently discovered that taking breaks during a walk burns more calories than going straight from start to finish at an uninterrupted clip.
In the study, published in the Proceedings of the Royal Society B, researchers measured the oxygen and energy requirements of participants who walked on a treadmill and used a stair climber.
Ten healthy volunteers were monitored as they exercised at three different speeds for intervals ranging from 10 seconds to four minutes.
The researchers recorded the level of oxygen consumed by each participant and the metabolic demands of each interval. Tests determined that climbing or walking in 10- to 30-second intervals required 60% more oxygen than covering the same distance without stopping.
Hot on the vehicle references, Francesco Luciano, a researcher at the University of Milan and first author of the study, explained: “When we walk for shorter periods, we use more energy and consume more oxygen to cover the the same distance. It’s like having a car that uses more fuel during the first few kilometers than afterwards.”
The team noted that the body required more energy to warm up at the start of each walk and less when it was already in motion.
Luciano continued, “When we start walking, we can have fixed costs at the beginning of the bout. By analogy, driving a car needs some fuel to start the engine or to get the car out of the garage. We found that when you start from rest, a significant amount of oxygen is consumed to start walking. We incur this cost regardless of whether we then walk for 10 or 30 seconds, so it weighs proportionally more for longer periods than longer periods.
The team began this study after determining that many estimates of the energy and oxygen demands of walking analyzed people exercising in a metabolic steady state, which they compared to a car traveling on cruise control.
“Researchers have typically measured energy requirements during walks lasting many minutes. However, many people are not even able to walk for that long. Think about elderly individuals or people with walking disorders.”
Their research supports other studies that have found that short bursts of physical activity can greatly improve overall health and well-being.
As The Post reported, exercising a “disgustingly small” amount per day, as little as four minutes, can significantly reduce an individual’s risk of cancer, and even two minutes of exercise can lower the risk of death by 18 %.
While the average American spends roughly nine waking hours sitting, a trend that has been linked to an increased risk of developing dementia, obesity, heart disease and even death, just 22 minutes of moderate to vigorous physical activity has the potential to sitting down. the risk of adverse health effects of being sedentary.
The health benefits of a daily walk are well established. From aiding digestion to boosting mood, taking steps is definitely a step in the right direction.
Walking is a low-impact alternative to running or other high-intensity exercise. It’s effective, affordable, and can help you live a longer, richer life. Recent research reveals that walking 5,000 steps three times a week for two years can add three years to a person’s life expectancy and reduce health care costs by up to 13%.
The researchers hope their findings will help shape rehabilitation and physical activity programming for those with limited mobility due to brain injury or obesity, leading to more comprehensive and effective practices.
“If we want to design programs to promote physical activity or exercise for these people, we need to rethink how we assess their energy requirements and adapt. Understanding the energy demands of short bouts of walking can help us promote physical activity in a more comprehensive way.”
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