Could a quick walk to make a cuppa be the secret to boosting your health?

A short walk to make a cup of tea could be the key to staying fit, research suggests.

Sounds too good to be true? Well researchers have found regular short bursts of activity for as little as 10 to 30 seconds could burn more energy than previously thought. A laboratory trial of people on has provided the striking insight that when people break up a walk into shorter bursts they use up to 60% more energy.

Scientists say that is because after the body has got going then walking becomes more efficient - similar to a car going at cruise speed. Experts also said regularly stopping for breaks when going out for a stroll could actually help people burn more .

Dr Francesco Luciano of the University of Milan, who led the study, told the Times that short bursts of physical activity - such as a brisk walk up some stairs - can make a surprisingly large difference. He said: "In our daily lives whenever possible, we should break up periods of sitting by taking a few steps. Breaking up sedentary time with brief strolls can greatly increase energy expended daily and improve health.”

The study saw 10 healthy volunteers undergo a detailed trial exercising on a stair climber and a treadmill covering three speeds, with bouts lasting from 10 seconds to four minutes. Participants walking or climbing stairs in 10 to 30 second bouts required 20% to 60% more oxygen - suggesting this is the amount of additional energy they were burning - compared to covering the same distance in one go.

Dr Luciano told the Guardian: "It's like having a car that consumes more fuel during the first few kilometres than it does afterwards. When we start walking, we may incur some fixed costs at the beginning of the bout," Luciano said. "In analogy, driving a car needs some fuel to start the engine or get the car out of the garage. We found that when starting from rest, a significant amount of oxygen is consumed just to start walking.

“We incur this cost regardless of whether we then walk for 10 or 30 seconds, so it proportionally weighs more for shorter rather than longer bouts."

The says adults aged under 65 should do at least 150 minutes of moderate intensity or 75 minutes of vigorous intensity activity a week.

It follows emerging research indicating the benefits of so-called high intensity interval training - or HIIT. One study suggested it could boost brain health with better memory and volume of grey matter in older adults. And these brain benefits lasted up to five years after the study was completed.

HIIT sessions performed on a treadmill consisted of a four-minute bout of hard exercise at around 80-95% of their maximum heart rate, broken up with three minutes of recovery in between. This was repeated four times.