walking short bursts energy consumption study

Walking in Short Bursts Increases Energy Consumption by 20% to 60%: Study Insights

Introduction

Researchers at the University of Milan, specializing in pathophysiology, found that intermittent stair climbing or walking results in 20% to 60% more energy consumption compared to performing these activities continuously over the same distance. Their study, appearing in the Proceedings of the Royal Society B, involved monitoring oxygen intake as volunteers walked on treadmills or climbed stairs.

Research Observations

Metabolic Steady State

• The research team observed that existing energy expenditure data typically reflects activities conducted at a metabolically steady state, which occurs only after sustained effort.
• They questioned whether energy expenditure might differ if individuals engaged in stop-and-start exercises multiple times.

Study Methodology

To explore this, they recruited 10 volunteers.

Volunteers participated in activities that included:

• Walking on a treadmill or
• Climbing a short flight of stairs

The duration of these activities varied from 10 seconds to four minutes.

They wore masks to monitor oxygen intake, which served as a method for measuring energy expenditure.

Key Findings

Increased Energy Expenditure

The researchers observed that volunteers expended more energy when they performed multiple start-and-stop activities, compared to maintaining a continuous, steady pace over the same distance.

Explanation of Energy Use

• The researchers attribute this to the body expending more energy in the initial stages of gearing up for activity and establishing a steady rhythm.
• Similar to how a car uses more fuel when accelerating from a standstill.

Experimental Results

Further experiments demonstrated that breaking exercise into multiple short bouts, as opposed to one prolonged session, led to energy consumption increases ranging from 20% to 60%.

Conclusion and Recommendations

The research group recommends engaging in multiple short bouts of exercise for better results, as opposed to sustaining a steady pace over longer durations.

Source

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