Research finds: Making a small change during exercise can help burn more calories

In the past, everyone thought that only by striving to keep moving can you burn more calories? But a recent study shows that short exercise and stopping for a break in the exercise may help you burn more calories.

According to research published in Royal Society B, short-term walking or climbing stairs requires more oxygen and energy than long-term walking.

In an experiment of 10 participants, researchers investigated how the continuous time of walking affects their body's energy use, as well as changes in mechanical force, strength, and time. Participants walked on the stairs at different speeds (0.20, 0.25 and 0.36 m/s) for 10 to 240 seconds and on the jogger at 1.39 m/s.

It is found that 10 to 30 seconds of walking or climbing a staircase requires 20 to 60% more oxygen than one continuous journey. The researchers explained that this situation occurs because more energy is needed from rest to start, and as time goes by, the energy consumed by continuous walking will decrease.

This study shows that the average time oxygen and lift consumption are larger in longer plays in shorter matches: the 30-second match consumes 20-60% more oxygen, partly due to a higher proportion of non- lift consumption. Francesco Luciano, first author of the study, said that when walking for a shorter time, it uses more energy and consumes more oxygen to go the same distance; it is like a car consumes more fuel in the first few kilometers than it does afterwards.

This result provides encouraging news, especially for older people or those with abdominal disorders, because health benefits can still be gained through short walks.

Francesco Luciano pointed out that if we want to design some sports to promote physical activities, we need to rethink how to estimate and adjust their energy needs; understanding the energy needs of short-term walking can help us promote physical activities in a more inclusive way.