We often say walking is good for health, but there are certain things that need to be considered while walking to make it beneficial.
According to the New York Post, a study done by the University of Massachusetts Amherst found that incorporating uneven strides while walking can significantly boost metabolism and increase calorie burn.
As per the new research, walking at uneven lengths can burn more calories compared to walking at even lengths.
For this study, researchers looked at the moments of 18, 24-year-old healthy adults with about 155 pounds weight who conventionally walked on a treadmill for five minutes. The participants were asked to step between 5% to 10% shorter or longer strides than normal.
The team measured the carbon dioxide level and found that a 2.7% increase in ‘step length variability’ can increase metabolism by 1.7%.
Study author Adam Grimmitt told the Daily Mail, “I think it would be fair to assume that more frequent and larger variations in stride length would increase your metabolic rate while walking,” adding, “Step length variability plays a modest, albeit significant, role in the metabolic cost of walking.”
Grimmitt also suggested, “Future studies should quantify foot placement accuracy and muscle activity across similar virtual projections.”
