For years, doctors have stressed the importance of being active during your day—after all, research has found that sitting for too long raises your risk of a slew of serious health conditions, including cardiovascular disease and type 2 diabetes. But the idea of going for hour-long walks can be overwhelming. Now, new research suggests you don’t need to jam in a massive stroll into each day: Instead, you can go for “micro-walks.”
That’s the main takeaway from a study published in Proceedings of the Royal Society B, which found that micro-walks may be even better for you than long ones. Here’s the deal.
Meet the expert: Albert Matheny, R.D., C.S.C.S., a co-founder of SoHo Strength Lab.
What are ‘micro-walks’?
In this study, a “micro-walk” is defined as walking between 10 and 30 seconds at a time (with breaks in between your next walk).
Are ‘micro-walks’ more beneficial for your health? Why?
It depends on how you’re looking at it. In this particular study, volunteers walked on a treadmill or climbed a short flight of stairs for different periods of time, ranging from 10 seconds to four minutes. The study participants wore masks to measure their oxygen intake (which can be used to calculate energy or calorie consumption).
The researchers discovered that people who walked in short bursts used up to 60 per cent more energy than longer ones, despite the walks covering the same distance. (The more energy you expend, the more calories you can burn.)
Basically, you may be able to rev up your metabolism and burn more calories if you do short bursts of walking versus longer cruises around.
Albert Matheny, RD, CSCS, a co-founder of SoHo Strength Lab, says there’s something to this. “Getting activity throughout the day, in general, is better for people,” he says. “It’s better for circulation, mental health, and digestive health.”
You’re also more likely to have a faster pace when you do shorter bursts of walking than if you’re going on, say, a five-mile walk, he points out.
How many steps should I get per day?
This is debatable, and research has shown that the often-quoted 10,000 steps a day may not be necessary. Instead, 7,500 steps or so is ideal—but everyone is different.
If you’ve already been walking, Matheny says that aiming for 10,000 steps a day is great. But if not or if you don’t have many opportunities to walk during your day, 7,500 steps may be a better goal.
“It’s really about doing what you can,” he says. “If you’re not a big walker and you think, ‘I don’t want to walk five miles,’ then just do 30-second bursts. It’s more attainable.”
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