In the sketch, government drones Mr Teabag and Mr Putey work in London’s Whitehall, where the rule that all walking must be done in a silly style is preventing anything getting done. Remind you of another government that struggled to get much done in recent months?
“I’m sorry to have kept you waiting but I’m afraid my walk has become rather sillier recently so it takes me rather long” says a bowler-hatted Mr Teabag (Cleese), while marching on the spot then thrusting his legs around the room.
He has arrived to meet Mr Putey, who is seeking government funding to further develop his own, unique silly walk, which is, unfortunately, deemed “not particularly silly”.
To test the exercise efficiency of the silly walks, the recent study calculated the calories participants burned, their average speed and oxygen uptake, to compare it with their normal walking styles. And they came to a ground-breaking scientific conclusion.
The researchers found that the silly walk of Mr Teabag – but not Mr Putey – resulted in a significantly greater energy expenditure, leading them to recommend that walking Mr Teabag style for 12 to 19 minutes each day “would likely increase cardiorespiratory fitness [and] reduce mortality risk.”
And even better, working the new exercise into your daily routine “would require no extra time commitment because it replaces movement adults already do with higher energy physical activity.”
What’s not to love?
“Our analysis of the energy consumed during different styles of walking seeks to empower people to move their own bodies in more energetic—and hopefully joyful—ways”, said the authors of the study.
“Efforts to boost cardiovascular fitness should embrace inclusivity and inefficiency for all.”
If you’d like to have a go at exercising inefficiently this Christmas, here’s a handy illustrated guide.
Just don’t expect it to catch on too quickly at your local gym.
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