Taking the stairs may boost energy more than drinking a soda

A mother and daughter walk down illuminated stairs at a newly-opened business and amusement complex in Tokyo March 21, 2008. REUTERS/Issei Kato

(Reuters Health) – For young women running on little sleep, 10 minutes of stair walking increased energy more than the amount of caffeine in a soda or half a cup of coffee, according to a small study.

This energy boost is relatively short, and overtired workers may need to do a few bouts of exercise throughout the day to keep up energy long term, the researchers write in the journal Physiology and Behavior.

“There are many people who are sleep deprived and report low energy. We focused on women because they more frequently report low energy compared to men,” said study coauthor Patrick O’Connor, a professor of kinesiology at the University of Georgia in Athens.

To compare the effects of caffeine and exercise on energy level, the study team recruited 18 female college students with average caffeine intake and physical activity levels.

The women in the study were also relatively sleep-deprived, with all reporting sleeping 6.5 hours or less per night.

Before starting the experiment, the women answered questions assessing their feelings of energy or vigor and their motivation levels.

The women also completed cognitive tests measuring their attention, short-term memory and reaction times.

Participants then received either a flour-filled placebo pill, a caffeine pill containing 50 mg of caffeine (about equivalent to a soda or half a cup of coffee), or completed a 10-minute stair-walking exercise.

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source: yahoo.com