Gaby
After reviewing the research conducted by the team at the University of Milan, you might want to rethink your daily walking routine.
Scientists have stated that when it comes to health-related walking, the total distance a person covers shouldn’t be the primary focus. New research has shown that breaking up long periods of sitting with frequent, short walking breaks positively impacts health.
What Did the Researchers Report?
Excessive sitting is believed to slow down metabolism and reduce the effectiveness of regulating blood pressure and blood sugar levels. This, in turn, increases the risk of developing chronic diseases, particularly cardiovascular issues.
The team involved 20 volunteers in their study. During the experiment, researchers measured how much oxygen the participants’ bodies used after short and long periods of walking or using a stair climber. The duration of activity varied from 10 seconds to four minutes, as reported by BBC Science Focus.
The scientists found that during short bursts of exercise, more oxygen and metabolic energy are consumed compared to longer sessions. “When we start walking, the energy expenditure is higher than after a few minutes of walking,” noted Francesco Luciano, a doctoral student at the University of Milan and the lead author of the study.
This is because after a few minutes of activity, our bodies become “more efficient,” and our heart rates stabilize. In other words, starting to walk is “more costly than continuing to walk.” Therefore, the researchers urged people to pay more attention to this “short-distance walking” in their daily lives. This will help maintain cardiovascular health for as long as possible.
