A team of pathophysiologists at the University of Milan has found that climbing stairs or walking for short bursts allows people to consume 20% to 60% more energy than if they do the same activity nonstop for the same distance. In their study, published in the Proceedings of the Royal Society B, the group asked volunteers to walk on a treadmill or climb stairs while also monitoring their oxygen intake.
This is fascinating. I hate the treadmill due to the monotony of doing that for 20-20 minutes. If I could break that up into 5-minute chunks over the course of the day, it’s less monotonous, for sure.