According to a Canadian study during running, speed in running pushes you to save energy rather than burn it. But it can be remedied by training with a partner or with music
Even when we run we obey the laws of survival e we instinctively try to save energy. One might expect that, as happens in races, amateur runners will also proceed faster if they have to travel short distances and instead adopt a slower pace if they plan to cover several kilometers. Unlike athletes, however, those who have no performance goals, it seems that prefer to keep the same pace, regardless of the distance, in order to save calories. Only when the track becomes more than 10 kilometers is there a slight drop in pace.
Research
The observation is due to research conducted by biologists from Queen’s University (Canada), published in Current Biology. The researchers concluded that when a person runs, he follows an unconscious rhythm, aimed at minimum energy consumption. Canadian researchers analyzed data on 46,000 runners (between 16 and 83 years old) and 28,000 hours of running, collected thanks to wearable fitness bracelets. Scientists calculated the ideal speed based on oxygen consumption using data from 26 people who ran on the treadmill. The result, whether it is real life or experimental conditions, does not change: the same pace is maintained, the one that burns fewer calories and makes you feel better. As the pace picks up, energy consumption increases, but usually the pace slows down after a while. Minimize energy expenditure – he comments Jessica Selinger, lead author of the study, researcher in the Department of Mechanical and Materials Engineering at Queen’s University – has evolutionary advantages because it allows you to cover greater distances while consuming fewer calories. After all, we share this characteristic with other animals, be it birds that fly, horses that gallop or fish that swim. There is evidence in nature that we all move in a way that saves calories. Even if today’s runners do not risk food shortages, like our ancestors, they still behave in a way that adheres to the evolutionary dictate that leads to energy saving.
The consequences
The discovery has significant repercussions for those who play sports: if, unconsciously, energy-efficient movements are preferred, those who run with the aim of burning calories, paradoxically end up moving at a speed that, by nature, consumes fewer calories. exactly the opposite of what is intended. Given that regardless of speed, running (and other physical activities) have numerous benefits, such as the development of muscle strength and bone density, the improvement of well-being and mood and general cardiovascular health, as can actually consume more calories. to lose weight? How to lose weight Ideal for slimming purposes – suggests Gianfranco Beltramivice president of the Italian Sports Medical Federation – would be to associate some gym sessions with weights to running sessions, in order to maintain muscle mass and not risk catabolizing it (in this case translatable into consuming it, ndr) due to running and a possible concomitant decrease in the intake of calories and proteins. And to push and not settle on your preferred speed? At this point the mind comes into play: to run at a faster pace you have to concentrate to do it. In short, you need to make an effort to get out of the natural zone of physical comfort and set up a workout at a higher pace. To do this, the authors also suggest tricks like run with a partner faster o listen to fast-paced music.
November 6, 2022 (change November 6, 2022 | 16:20)
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