If you’re thinking about skipping your next workout because you just can’t face going all out at the gym, there’s great news! New research shows that it’s perfectly okay to go half-speed.
The studies, reported in Medicine & Science in Sports & Exercise, found that energy expenditures increased for at least 22 hours (yup, a whole day) after bouts of even moderate intensity (50% of peak) exercise. That translates into an additional 64 kilocalories burned daily, even at rest after your exercise session is long gone.
These findings thwarted previous research that had only shown that high intensity exercise boosted the resting energy expenditures. Scientists believe that the new findings are as a result of adjusting calorie intake to achieve energy balance when designing the study, allowing them to better record exercise’s specific effects on energy expenditure. The researchers also believe that the extra calorie-burning effects may be as a result of increases in fight-or-flight response mechanisms and natural bodily muscle damage repair activities following exercise.
So, the next time you’re thinking of bailing on that run, don’t. It’s fine to take a brisk walk instead.
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