Walking is cooler than ever thanks to the Hot Girl Walk trend made famous on TikTok. Besides being cool, walking is also great for your mental and physical health.
There are other ways to make walking more effective, such as Nordic walking (which involves your upper body using poles similar to ski poles) and interval walking (which measures your heart rate, according to Harvard Health). Up than a normal walk.
Interval Walk incorporates phases of fast and moderate walking to create a heart-pounding and challenging workout. The length of each pace can be mixed and matched to your liking, but typically most of the walk is done at a moderate pace, with faster paces sprinkled throughout. A ratio of 1 is common. That is, walk at a moderate pace for twice as long as he does at a fast pace (i.e., at moderate pace he walks for 2 minutes, then at a fast pace). 1 minute walk), but how you divide it up is up to you.
At a moderate walking pace, you should maintain about 30% to 40% of your maximum effort, says Kate Lemere, principal instructor at Barry’s Bootcamp Chicago. In other words, you need to walk at a pace that allows you to have a conversation.
You should maintain about 70% of your maximum effort during brisk, fast intervals, she said.
Interval walking is a way to add something different to your regular walk and make it more efficient.
Here, the experts share all the reasons why interval walking is good for your health.
Shorten the time needed to exercise.
“What does interval training do for you?” says Dr. Michael Ayers, a sports cardiologist at UVA Health in Virginia.
For those with busy schedules, this is a great advantage of incorporating fast and slow intervals into your walks, or any type of high-intensity interval training into your exercise. Ayers says that vigorous exercise can have the same effect as a slow walk in a shorter amount of time.
In other words, all the benefits of moderate-intensity walking can be achieved faster with the addition of a few short intervals of high-intensity walking.
“Interval training definitely reduces the amount of exercise you need to do during the week,” he added.
Causes an endorphin rush.
Overall, Ayers says one of the big reasons his patients love interval training is how they feel afterwards.
“When you exercise hard, you release big endorphins,” he said. interval trot, As long as you hit a strenuous pace for 30-60 seconds at a time, you’ll get an endorphin kick.
You can do 5 minutes of moderate pace intervals followed by 1 minute of fast intervals, or 1 minute of moderate walking followed by 30 seconds of power walking. As long as you punctuate your slow intervals with at least 30 seconds of brisk walking, you’ll be on your way to that endorphin boost.
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It builds endurance.
Walking may not be the first thing that comes to mind when you think of an endurance workout, but according to Dr. Tamanna Singh, clinical cardiologist and co-director of the Center for Sports Cardiology at the Cleveland Clinic, walking can actually increase aerobic endurance. Ohio.
For those who are really pushing during their walk, especially if they’re not used to strenuous exercise, that accelerated pace “may be enough to stimulate the aerobic and anaerobic systems,” she adds. rice field.
This helps build aerobic endurance and advance anaerobic level effort, Singh said.
Additionally, interval training can help you reach endurance goals associated with walking farther or walking faster.
”[The] best way to grow you [walking] Speed is in interval training, and you can do that by extending the duration of faster intervals over time,” says Singh.
A good workout for those who want to start exercising again.
Lemere says interval walking can also be a great advancement for those trying to get back into cardio after an injury or pregnancy.
If you fall into any of these categories, you shouldn’t jump right into a workout. We recommend checking with your doctor before adding anything new to your later workout routine.
But if you’re ready to take your walking to the next level, adding fast-slow intervals can boost your exercise output.
Interval walks are also useful for people who have recovered from an injury and want to get back to running.
“Incorporating walking intervals is one of the best ways to not only increase your cardio, but to progress when your goals involve running,” Lemere noted.
Helps reduce boredom during workouts.
Variety equals excitement in most scenarios involving workouts.
A 45 minute or hour walk can seem daunting (and can be boring). Shin pointed out.
Walk at a moderate pace for 10 minutes, then briskly for 5 minutes, and repeat this pattern until you reach your goal time. It’s also a way to stay focused during your workout, which is another great benefit.
“Engagement is a big factor in getting people to commit to exercise,” says Singh.
It doesn’t put as much strain on your body as traditional running…
If you’re not warming up and recovering properly, “running can be very painful and difficult to recover from,” says Lemere.
Our bodies change as we age and running may no longer be an option. that’s ok.
Interval walking is a great way to get active outdoors without straining your joints.
However, the cardiovascular benefits of walking at a steady pace are nearly identical.
Beyond the benefits listed above, interval walking has not been shown to be more beneficial than sustained walking for general health. You may sweat a little after a brisk walking interval, but the overall health benefits won’t really make that much of a difference.
Walking of all kinds is healthy, Ayers said. Become.
“Move your body at the end of the day [and] “Be very intentional about how you move your body,” Singh said. “This is the cheapest and easiest way to stay healthy and reduce cardiovascular risk.”
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