Keeping your body in reasonable shape is very important, so you can live a long and happy life. Of course, it‘s hard for most of us to stay in top shape, especially after you pass the 35-40 years mark.
But going for a quick jog around the block or even a walk a few times during the week is important to be able to overcome the challenges that life throws at us.
Now, however, research shows we burn just as many calories during a warm and relaxing bath, as we do for half an hour’s walk, according to the British site BBC.
To take a walk or a hot bath – that’s the question. In any case, if you ask Dr. Steve Faulkner, from Loughborough University, he is researching how to replace traditional exercise with something more relaxing.
The energy expenditure increased by 80%
During the study, ten men took part in a test comprising two parts.
In the first part, researchers asked the men to bathe in 104-degree water for 60 minutes, then eat a light meal.
The second part involved one hour on a bike followed by a light meal.
Before the test, the researchers fitted the participants with the equipment to measure blood sugar levels and how many calories were burned, which showed that the calorie burn increased by as much as 80 percent.
The participants did not burn as much taking a bath as when cycling, instead; they averaged around 140 calories, which corresponds to 30 minutes of light walking.
Glucose was lower
The study also showed that the participants’ blood sugar values dropped more from bathing than from cycling – which was a big step forward when it comes to diabetes treatment for people who have difficulty exercising.
“What we found, was that peak glucose was actually quite a bit lower after the bath, compared with exercise, which was completely unexpected,” said Steve Faulkner to the BBC.
So please don’t throw your training clothes away! But maybe you can indulge in a nice bath sometimes, instead of going outside when the weather is bad!
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