Walking or climbing stairs for short bursts of time burns 20%-60% more energy than doing the same activity for the same amount of time or distance without stopping for breaks, a recent study suggests.

For the study, 10 adults walked for 10- to 240-second bouts on a stair climber and on a treadmill. Participants wore a mask to measure their oxygen intake, as a way of measuring energy consumption.

The researchers found that participants used more energy if they started and stopped multiple times instead of engaging in the activity at a steady rate. This is partially explained by the fact that the body uses more energy gearing up for an activity and getting into a good pace than it does once a steady pace. is achieved.

They suggest that people who want to expend more energy and burn more calories during their workouts perform multiple short bursts of activity.

However, it’s important to note that these are very short bursts of activity that are perhaps more suited to taking a break from sitting than to deciding to choose longer stop-and-start workouts such as HIIT or sprinting.

To read the abstract of the study, published in Proceedings of the Royal Society B, click here