Goto's team studied seven healthy, physically active
men who were 25 years old, on average. At the researchers'
lab, the men pedaled stationary bikes for an hour without
taking any breaks. On another day, they rode the stationary
bike for half an hour, sat in a chair and rested for 20
minutes, and then pedaled for 30 more minutes.
For comparison, the men visited the researchers' lab
one more time just to rest for an hour, without exercising
at all.
The researchers monitored the men's fat metabolism and
hormone levels before, during, and after each session.
As expected, an hour of pure rest was a dud when it came
to fat metabolism, compared with the fat-burning effects
of exercise.
But resting during exercise revved up fat metabolism
during and after exercise, compared with a solid hour
of exercise with no breaks.
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