Micro-walks: Short bursts burn more for bigger benefits

By now, we’ve all heard the mantra that to stay healthy, we need to get in 10,000 steps a day.

But let’s face it…

Those 10,000 steps work out to about 4.4 miles and for most of us, the idea of heading out for an almost 4 ½ mile walk can seem out of reach.

Well, I’ve got good news for you.

Researchers have discovered a health hack that can cut your walking time down dramatically, while at the same time leveling up the benefits for your heart health.

Here’s how to take advantage of it…

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Short bursts beat long slogs

The researchers refer to the hack as a ‘micro-walk’.

It means walking between 10 and 30 seconds at a time (with breaks in between your next walk), rather than doing all your steps at once.

To determine how the hack performed, researchers asked volunteers to walk on a treadmill or climb a short flight of stairs for different periods of time, ranging from 10 seconds to four minutes. During the activities, every participant wore a mask that measured their intake of oxygen — an easy way to determine the amount of calories they burned.

And the results were clear…

The scientists found that when you walk in short bursts, your body uses up to 60 percent more energy than it does when you take longer walks — even though you cover the same distance altogether.

Put simply, short bursts of exercise are better at revving up your metabolism to allow your body to burn calories (say hello to a slimmer, trimmer body and a lowered disease risk).

Plus, when you set out for a short walk, you’re likely to sustain a faster pace than if you were trying to hit that 10,000 steps or 4.4-mile mark.

According to Albert Matheny, RD, CSCS, it’s easy to see why these micro-walks work, “Getting activity throughout the day, in general, is better for people,” he says. “It’s better for circulation, mental health, and digestive health.”

Other fitness experts have hypothesized that micro-walks help the body to reset and keep muscles engaged, especially important if you sit for long periods. The health dangers of a sedentary lifestyle have been well publicized.

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Micro-walking your way to better health

So if the idea of going the distance has been keeping you from grabbing the benefits of walking for your health, why not use the micro-walking hack to make things easy?

You can still set a goal of 7,500 to 10,000 steps in your day (or less if you need to work your way up), but you don’t have to get them in all at once.

Walk for 10-30 seconds as fast as you can, take a break and then do it again later.

Rinse and repeat until you’ve hit your goal.

To really change things up, you can even try combining the micro-walks idea with another health hack — walking backward.

Research is pointing to the idea that doing your walks in reverse could actually be healthier and come with five important benefits to your health that you won’t want to miss.

Sources:

‘Micro-Walks’ Could Boost Your Health More Than Longer Ones, New Study Suggests — MSN

‘Micro-Walks’ May Have a Big Impact on Your Health, Study Finds — Prevention.com

Move less, spend more: the metabolic demands of short walking bouts — Proceedings of the Royal Society Biological Sciences