First, they went around the 30-metre course in their own gait.
Then they mimicked Mr Putey, the character who applied for a grant to develop his silly walk from the ministry. In the third instance, participants imitated Mr Teabag.
The height and weight of each person were measured before they were shown the Python clip and asked to imitate it.
A mask tracked breathing changes and calculated exertion and energy expenditure.
Each minute of Teabag walking increased energy expenditure over participants’ usual walking by an average of 8 calories in men and by 5.2 calories in women, and qualified as vigorous-intensity physical activity.
Analysis also found that for an average adult who walks about 5,000 steps a day, substituting one in four steps for Teabag steps - which the team say would be about 1,100 steps daily and require 12 minutes a day to do - would burn an extra 1,000 calories a day.
Any joy derived from inefficient walking would further promote its uptake,” the scientists added.
The team acknowledges that those with disabilities, gait disorders, or joint disorders may be unable to perform the Teabag.
They also understand that 12 minutes of silly walking a day might pose practical issues and that people engaging in short bursts may choose to do so indoors, in private.
People could engage in periodic bursts of inefficient walking, perhaps lasting only a few minutes at a time, at times and places that are most convenient for them, the scientists say.
”In fact, inefficient walking can be performed entirely indoors. This might appeal to those who live in places where outdoor spaces for recreation are inaccessible or unsafe, or indeed to people who are hesitant to engage in inefficient walking in public,” they said.
Had an initiative to promote inefficient movement been adopted in the early 1970s, we might now be living among a healthier society.
”Efforts to promote higher energy, and perhaps more joyful, walking should ensure inclusivity and inefficiency for all.”
The Teabag walk was around 2.5 times better at burning calories than normal walking.
The team found that 11 minutes of such walking a day would reach NHS guidelines for minimal levels of exercise, which would “likely reduce mortality risk”.
Previous research has found that 60 minutes a week of vigorous-intensity physical activity is associated with a lower risk of all-cause mortality of about 10 per cent.
Current NHS guidance states that adults should aim to be active every day, and adults should also undertake 150 minutes of moderately intense activity (such as a brisk walk) or 75 minutes of vigorous activity (such as running) every week.
Other examples of vigorous activity are going to the gym, walking up stairs, swimming or skipping.
