A study from the United States has discovered a less time-consuming solution for those looking to enhance calorie burning for weight loss: adding a bit of complexity to daily walking routines.
According to the Daily Mail, researchers monitored the movements of 18 healthy adults and found that walking with uneven steps of varying lengths significantly improves calorie burning compared to a steady pace.
Some small changes can help you burn calories better while walking – (AI Photo: Anh Thư).
The volunteers, aged 24 on average and weighing approximately 154 lbs (70.5 kg), were asked to walk as they normally would for 5 minutes on a treadmill.
A system recorded their movements with an average stride length of 1.2 meters per second, which is a common walking speed.
Participants then walked again, this time stepping according to positions marked by lights, which could vary in length by 5% and 10% shorter or longer than their average stride.
The results showed that for every 1% increase in step variability, energy expenditure increased by 0.7%.
According to co-author Adam Grimmitt, an exercise physiology expert at the University of Massachusetts Amherst, the increase in calorie burning is due to the requirement for uneven stepping, which boosts the body’s metabolic rate to adapt to the more complex task.
This finding suggests that taking walks in urban areas or on routes with varied terrain could be a good alternative to walking on a treadmill at home or on completely flat surfaces, especially if you’re looking to lose weight quickly and are short on time.
