Micro Walks May Burn More Calories—Experts Share Key Insights

When you visualize going for a walk, you probably picture yourself moving steadily for as much time as possible. And while the value of a nice long walk is vast to say the least, new research suggests that “micro walks” may offer health benefits as well. Keep reading to find out what the study says, experts’ opinions on the findings and how you may be able to enhance your health with shorter walks. 

Health benefits of micro walks

University of Milan researchers found that when people walk in stints of 10 to 30 seconds while taking brief breaks in between, they use more energy and burn more calories than continuously walking the same distance. 

Participants walked for varying lengths of time for the study. While some volunteers walked in short bursts with breaks lasting several minutes, others walked longer durations of up to four minutes. 

These micro walks used up to 60 per cent more energy than longer episodes of walking or climbing even though the walks ultimately covered the same distance, note findings published in biological science journal Proceedings of the Royal Society B. 

What the micro walk study does and doesn’t say 

While promising, this study is not clinically significant enough to warrant solely relying on micro walks for health and fitness purposes. One important reason for this is that the study only had 10 participants, which is an incredibly small sample size and makes it challenging to apply the findings to a wider audience, cautions Milica McDowell, PT, DPT, a certified exercise physiologist and VP of operations Gait Happens. 

It’s also difficult to compare results ranging from 10 seconds to four minutes, as the ladder is 24 times the former, which is a notable variation, says Dr. McDowell. Some participants in the study walked on stair climbers while others used treadmills, so despite walking the same distance, the exercises were not that similar, she adds. 

This is not all to imply that micro walks provide no health benefit. In fact, Dr. McDowell says the activity can improve circulation, helping to reduce risks of swelling from being seated for long durations. This has a positive impact on cardiovascular health as well, she notes. 

Micro walks may also improve cognitive function and mental sharpness as they allow you to take a break from being sedentary to move or change your body’s position, which allows you to shift your focus and regain attention to any tasks you are trying to complete, says Dr. McDowell. 

How can micro walks boost weight loss?

The study suggests that when you go quickly from sedentary—if you’re sitting, for example—to taking a quick micro walk, your metabolic system goes from resting to stimulated quite quickly, says Dr. McDowell. This can rev your metabolism as well as your oxygen intake, which helps you burn a quick blast of calories as described in the study, she notes. 

“Shorter walks can be done at higher intensities as your endurance isn’t a factor like in a longer walk, so a higher intensity bout of exercise stresses the body more and can burn calories more quickly than a slower, longer activity,” she says. “Essentially, you would eventually burn the same calories with a longer, slower walk, but it would take a lot longer time.” 

How to incorporate micro walks into your daily routine

The CDC recommends 150 minutes of cardiovascular exercise per week, so ideally your walks should add up roughly to 150 minutes, says Dr. McDowell. The risk of injury is higher with super short durations (less than four minutes) as your tissues won’t have a chance to get warmed up, she cautions, so sprains and strains could be more likely with this approach. 

“I’d rather see folks walk for at least 10 minutes at a time, and there’s plenty of science to support this duration as that reduces risks and is still short enough to be manageable schedule-wise,” she says. “It also offers cardiovascular protection effects. All in all though, any movement is better than no movement, so something is always better than nothing!”