One study found that taking just a 10-second break while walking helps you burn more calories than walking without a break.
The data was published in the scientific journal Proceedings of the Royal Society B On Wednesday the 16th.
Tests with volunteers
The research team gathered 10 volunteers who walked on treadmills at three different speeds and at intervals divided between three seconds and four minutes.
The researchers recorded the level of oxygen consumed by each participant and the metabolic requirements for each period.
The analysis found that walking in intervals ranging from 10 to 30 seconds requires 60% more oxygen than walking the same distance without stopping.
“When we walk for shorter periods, we use more energy and consume more oxygen to cover the same distance. “It's like having a car that consumes more fuel during the first kilometers than afterward,” Francesco Luciano, one of the researchers, explained in an interview with The Guardian.
The team noted that the body needs more energy to warm up at the beginning of each walk and less when it is actually moving.
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