How short walks can help burn calories and boost health
These short bursts of energy are shown to help burn more calories, boost metabolic rate, and improve endurance and strength.
Research, including a University of Milan study, found that micro-walks can lead to expending 60 percent more energy than longer walks covering the same distance.
The findings align with other studies demonstrating the health benefits of short, intense activity, such as high-intensity interval training or just 4.5 minutes of vigorous daily tasks.
Ultimately, any form of exercise is beneficial, with even 7,000 steps a day being effective, and that short bursts make physical activity more achievable.
What is a micro-walk? The fad may be the simple trick to make you healthier
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Daily Mail
14 minutes ago
- Daily Mail
I'm a spinal doctor - here are the simple daily habits I follow to stay back-pain free
A leading spine surgeon has revealed the simple daily habits he follows to protect his spine—and what to do if you're one of the millions who suffers from back pain. Dr Colin Natalia, a consultant at The Princess Grace Hospital, blamed sedentary lifestyles for the epidemic—but said having an office job doesn't have to equate to back pain. 'The spine is an amazing feat of engineering. But it wasn't designed for sitting still,' he said. 'It is designed to move. It doesn't matter how ergonomic your office chair is, the height of your screen or even having a standing desk. 'It's not the answer to keeping your spine healthy. Movement is.' Whilst he acknowledged that these alterations may help improve posture, the best thing to do is take regular breaks. 'I set a chime on my [computer] desktop every hour signalling that it is time to get up and move,' he suggested. According to the back expert, movement is absolutely crucial to spine health, as this exercises the muscles. Tissue loading, which occurs when the muscles contract, is optimal for skeletal health. When this followed up by a period of rest—for example returning to your desk—the tissue becomes more resistant, building up back strength. He said this is particularly crucial for under 35-year-olds, who are still building bone mass, making it a critical time to implement practices that promote bone density and strength. Peak bone mass, which typically occurs between 25 and 35-years-old is the highest amount of bone tissue an individual can attain. Failure to build strong bones during this phase of life can increase the risk of osteoporosis—a health condition that weakens bones—and fractures in later life. 'It's all about forming habits when you're young,' Dr Natalia warned. 'If you don't use it, you'll lose it.' But, it's not too late for people who have surpassed the building block years, he added. 'My main message to everyone is to stay active, don't be afraid and push through the pain.' Whilst this might seem counter-intuitive, Dr Natalia said the best thing for people who have experienced back pain is to stay active. 'People become really inactive when they are suffering from back pain, partly because they are scared of it becoming something more serious and partly because they have been told that rest is the best thing for them. 'This couldn't be further from the truth,' he explained. Whilst he acknowledged that some pain is more severe than others, he said it is a common misconception that when something hurts it is causing harm. 'People too often confuse hurt and harm', he explained. 'Whilst pushing through may be painful, it is often the best thing you can do for your spine. 'Remember modification is always better than stopping altogether.' For those who are more prone to back pain, Dr Natalia suggested swapping out high impact workouts like running for something more gentle, like pilates or swimming when the pain is worse. However if the pain is persistent and does not improve after six weeks of rest, taking over-the-counter painkillers such as Ibuprofen and physical therapy, this could be a red-flag warning sign of something more serious. At this point, Dr Natalia advises contacting your GP who may refer you to a specialist for MRI imaging. However, he said that 90 per cent of cases do no progress to this stage and that most people should get better with a combination of physical therapy and painkillers. 'The best piece of advice I can give is don't be scared of your back and stay active.' As well as exercising regularly, making sure to stand up every hour, Dr Natalia said he also focuses on his diet, taking probiotics every day—which promote healthy bacteria in the gut—avoiding processed foods and refined sugar and eating a largely anti-inflammatory diet. The surgeons top tips come as new research has suggested that only one in ten treatments for back pain actually work. Experts from the University of New South Wales found that just one treatment for acute lower back pain and five treatments for chronic—or long-term—back pain were 'efficacious'. These included non-steroid anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs), such as ibuprofen, for short-term back pain. For long-term back pain, the treatments found to be effective were exercise, spinal manipulative therapy, taping, antidepressants and drugs that target the pain receptors transient receptor potential vanilloid 1 (TRPV1). The findings will come as a blow to the millions of Americans and Brits who suffer from back pain, which can often be debilitating. It is the most common form of pain experienced by adults, with lower back pain affecting six in ten people in the UK, and eight in ten in the US. However, there is usually no immediately identifiable cause.
The Independent
an hour ago
- The Independent
Israeli forces kill 63 Palestinian in Gaza within hours of ‘humanitarian pause'
The Israeli military killed at least 63 people across Gaza just hours after declaring daily 'pauses' in operations to facilitate the passage of humanitarian aid, health officials said. The military said on Sunday it would suspend operations daily from 10am until 8pm in parts of central and northern Gaza, including al-Mawasi, Deir el-Balah and Gaza City, and promised to open aid corridors from 6am to 11pm to let in food and medical supplies. However, within hours of the so-called 'humanitarian pause' taking effect, Israeli forces resumed air raids. One reported strike targeted a bakery in an area designated as a 'safe zone', according to Al Jazeera. The humanitarian crisis continued to worsen. Health officials reported six more deaths, including of two children, from starvation in the past 24 hours, taking the total to 133. Among the latest to succumb was five-month-old Zainab Abu Haleeb, who died of malnutrition at the Nasser Hospital. 'Three months inside the hospital and this is what I get in return, that she is dead,' her mother Israa Abu Haleeb told Al Jazeera. The World Food Programme said one in three people in Gaza had gone days without food and about half a million were experiencing famine-like conditions. More than 20 per cent of pregnant and breastfeeding women were malnourished, according to the World Health Organization. Israel maintains that it is working to improve aid access and denies that famine exists in Gaza. But aid organisations say the situation is catastrophic, with a quarter of the population at risk of acute malnutrition. UN officials say the crisis won't ease unless Israel speeds up the movement of aid convoys through its checkpoints. A top UN official said last week Palestinians were beginning to resemble 'walking corpses'. Philippe Lazzarini, head of the UN agency for Palestinian refugees, Unrwa, said humanitarian workers were encountering children who were 'emaciated, weak and at high risk of dying' without immediate intervention. 'Families are no longer coping. They're breaking down, unable to survive,' Mr Lazzarini said. 'Their existence is threatened.' Israel has severely limited the flow of food and humanitarian aid into Gaza, allowing only a small number of trucks to enter each day after enforcing an 11-week total blockade earlier this year. UN officials warn the current level of aid is merely a drop in the ocean compared to the scale of need. The Israeli military intercepted an aid ship bound for Gaza that aimed to breach the blockade on the Palestinian territory, detaining 21 international activists and journalists and confiscating all cargo, including baby formula, food, and medicine, according to the Freedom Flotilla Coalition on Sunday. The group said Israeli forces 'violently intercepted' their vessel, Handala, in international waters around 40 nautical miles off the coast of Gaza, cutting off cameras and communication shortly before midnight on Saturday. 'All cargo was non-military, civilian and intended for direct distribution to a population facing deliberate starvation and medical collapse under Israel's illegal blockade,'' the group said in a statement. It was the second ship operated by the coalition that Israeli forces prevented in recent months from delivering aid to Gaza. It was reported on Sunday that Jordan and the UAE had begun airdropping aid into the besieged Palestinian territory. But Mr Lazzarini said 'airdrops will not reverse the deepening starvation'. 'They are expensive, inefficient and can even kill starving civilians. It is a distraction & smokescreen,' he said in an X post. 'A manmade hunger can only be addressed by political will. Lift the siege, open the gates and guarantee safe movements with dignified access to people in need. Israel's war on Gaza has killed nearly 60,000 Palestinians, injured over 144,000, and left most of the densely populated coastal territory in ruins and the majority of its 2.2 million people homeless and starving. Israel launched the war in October 2023 after nearly 1,200 Israelis were killed and 251 taken hostage during a Hamas attack.
Daily Mail
an hour ago
- Daily Mail
Mysterious condition reappears as Trump visits Scotland amid concerns over his chronic diagnosis
Donald Trump appeared with makeup on his hands again during his trip to Scotland just weeks after the White House explained the president's mysterious bruises. The Daily Mail first reported on Trump's mysterious hand bruising back in February, revealing that Trump's glad-handing had brought on the result. Earlier this month, Trump, 79, appeared at a White House press gaggle with what looked like makeup covering a patch on the back of his hand, sparking concerns. 'This is consistent with minor soft-tissue irritation from frequent handshaking and use of aspirin, which is taken as part of a standard cardiovascular prevention regimen. This is a well-known and benign side effect of aspirin therapy,' White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt recently divulged. The president has spent the past few days in Scotland meeting with everyone from UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer to European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen. The makeup covering those bruises has been visible in multiple press photos throughout Trump's trip. Once again, the president appears to be using a lot of concealer to keep the bruise from showing up when he announced a new trade deal with the EU. The makeup appeared to be concealing a raised circular area of skin that Trump's team may have been eager to hide. Earlier this month, in a surprise statement from the podium during a press briefing, White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt told reporters the president was checked out by his doctor after noticeable 'swelling' and revealed that Trump has been diagnosed with 'chronic venous insufficiency.' The splotch has been visible on other occasions throughout the past month, sparking a new round of questions about the cause. The makeup appeared to be concealing a raised circular area of skin. Leavitt said during her rare medical update that the president recently ' noticed mild swelling in the lower legs' and 'in keeping with routine medical care and out of the abundance of caution,' he was evaluated by the White House medical unit. He underwent a 'comprehensive examination' which included 'diagnostic vascular studies.' 'Bilateral, lower extremity ultrasounds were performed and revealed chronic venous insufficiency,' Leavitt stated. She said it's a 'common condition' in individuals over the age of 70 and there was 'no evidence' of deep vein thrombosis or arterial disease. 'The president remains in excellent health,' Leavitt said overall. 'Importantly, there was no evidence of deep vein thrombosis or arterial disease,' she added. Leavitt said in response to a question that there was 'no discomfort from the president at all.' She then pointed to his daily activities. 'And you probably all see that on a day-to-day basis, he's working around the clock. As for the treatment, I can defer to the president's physician,' she said. The letter released by White House Physician Sean Barbarella, DO, references 'mild swelling' in Trump's lower legs, and states the diagnosis emerged after a series of vascular studies. Neither Leavitt nor the letter addressed whether Trump would have to modify any of his routines, which include frequent golfing at his private courses on weekends, and his trademark dance moves to 'Y.M.C.A.' when he addresses rally crowds. Leavitt said there was 'no discomfort' for the president at all. Officials have previously mentioned Trump's frequent handshaking – Trump regularly interacts with a large number of people at White House events and when he travels – as the cause of the bruising, but have not previously identified the aspirin issue. The bruising had stayed with Trump from the presidential campaign through his return to the White House. It had even been spotted during Trump's Manhattan court fight in the Stormy Daniels case. According to the Cleveland Clinic, chronic venous insufficiency occurs when leg veins are damaged, making it more difficult for blood to return to the heart. It 'causes blood to pool in your leg veins, leading to high pressure in those veins.' The condition is fairly common, affecting one in 20 adults, and the risk increases with age. It can lead to achy legs, a feeling of 'pins and needles,' cramping, swelling and itching, as well as 'Leathery-looking skin on your legs.' Up to half the people who have had deep vein thrombosis later develop post-thrombotic syndrome within a year or two. That relates to scar tissue that can develop after a blood clot. Trump was the oldest person to take the Oath of Office when he was sworn in in January at age 78. He has said repeatedly that his predecessor Joe Biden, 82, had no idea what he was doing and this week opened a probe into an alleged 'cover-up' through his use of an autopen for a series of commutations. Trump reposted an item in May calling Biden a 'decrepit corpse,' days after Biden got a prostate cancer diagnosis. Trump has made a point of demonstrating his own physical and mental vigor – taking question after question from reporters inside the Oval Office, sometimes speaking for up to an hour.
