Scientists from the University of Arizona have discovered that 11 minutes of walking each day, such as the silly walk of Monty Python’s Flying Circus, can help adults reach WHO-recommended activity levels. Study published in the Christmas issue BMJ.
The study included 13 healthy adults (six women and seven men) aged 22 to 71 years without heart or lung disease. Each participant completed three five-minute trials.
In the first trial, participants walked inside 30 meters at a random pace. In the next two trials, participants were asked to re-enact the walks of Mr. Teabag and Mr. Pewty from Monty Python’s Flying Circus as best they could.
The researchers found that Mr. Tea Bag’s walking burned 2.5 times more calories than regular walking. In addition, oxygen intake increased to the level of high-intensity training.
WHO recommends that people do 75 minutes of vigorous exercise per week (or 150 minutes of moderate-intensity exercise per week). The researchers calculated that 11 minutes of daily Mr. Teabag-style walking could replace 75 minutes of vigorous exercise per week.