Key Takeaways
Walking is a popular form of exercise, and for many good reasons: It’s low impact, doesn’t require travel to a gym, and aside from purchasing a supportive and comfortable pair of shoes—it is free.
If done briskly enough, it’s also extremely beneficial to your heart health.
A sedentary lifestyle is one of the strongest risk factors for heart disease, so any form of regular exercise, including walking, is better than nothing.
“Sitting is the new smoking,” Liam Murphy, MD, a functional medicine doctor with Melbourne Functional Medicine in Australia, told Verywell.
However, experts advise that a casual stroll around the neighborhood may not be intense enough to promote health benefits. Here’s how vigorously you need to be walking.
Here’s How Long You Should Walk Every Day to Keep Your Heart Healthy
How to Know If You’re Walking Fast Enough
Most adults will need towalk faster than 3 miles per hour(20-minute miles) to reduce their heart disease risk.However, unless you are on a treadmill, it can be difficult to determine how fast you are going.
When is a Heart Rate Considered Dangerous?
Another way to determine if your physical activity is vigorous enough is to perform thetalk test. A moderate-intensity walk should leave you able to carry on a conversation, but not able to sing. If you are aiming for a vigorous level of activity, you should still be able to speak a few words at a time without pausing to catch your breath. If you are too short of breath to speak, your intensity level may be too high.
You may also notice that your pace varies from day to day. If you are feeling tired or sore from vigorous activity the day before, then it is OK to reduce your pace the following day.
“The goal is to feel better after you exercise, and you do not need to overdo it,”Gerald Jerome, PhD, FAHA, a behavioral exercise scientist and professor in the Department of Kinesiology atTowson University, told Verywell. “Some days you might have lower energy. Consider sticking with your routine even if you are at a slower pace.”
What’s Normal Blood Pressure After Exercise?
How to Increase the Intensity of Your Walk
Your pace and intensity will depend upon your fitness level.
“Intensity is relative. What is a brisk walk for one person may be too fast or slow for another,” Jerome said.
If you already walk regularly, you may find that your usual route begins to feel easier than it used to. If you find that a walk around your favorite park does not seem to be enough of a challenge, there are a few things you can do that will increase your intensity.
Add an Incline
“On the treadmill, you can add a minute or two at a higher incline before returning to your usual incline and speed,” Jerome said. “If you have a walking route, you can change your route to include some hills.”
Add Faster Intervals
Another way to increase intensity is to incorporate faster-paced intervals into your regular routine.
“On the treadmill that might look like a minute or two at a faster pace, then back to your usual pace,” Jerome said. “If you are walking in your neighborhood that might mean walking faster for a few blocks, then returning to your normal pace.”
Be careful about increasing your pace too quickly, as this could lead to fatigue or injury.
“Gradually increase your pace over time,”Mike Julom, an ACE-certified personal trainer, CrossFit and founder ofThisIsWhyImFit.com, told Verywell. “Remember that it’s not a race, it’s about improving your health. It’s far better to maintain a steady, comfortable pace that you can keep up for a set duration than to go super fast and tire out quickly.”
Top Benefits of Cardiovascular Endurance (Plus 5 Exercises)
How Much Time Should You Spend Walking?
Adults need 150 minutes of moderate exercise or 75 minutes of vigorous exercise weekly, according to most recent guidelines.If you cannot find an uninterrupted30-minute time to walk, experts say you can still benefit from walking shorter, more frequent intervals, like two 15-minute daily walks.
Small changes—such as parking further away from your destination or taking the stairs instead of the elevator—also add up and count toward your overall daily activity, Jerome said.
What This Means For YouExercise should feel good, not overtaxing or painful. But pushing yourself a bit can turn your stroll into a heart-healthy activity.
What This Means For You
Exercise should feel good, not overtaxing or painful. But pushing yourself a bit can turn your stroll into a heart-healthy activity.
1 SourceVerywell Health uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.American Heart Association.Walking your way to better health? Remember the acronym FIT.
1 Source
Verywell Health uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.American Heart Association.Walking your way to better health? Remember the acronym FIT.
Verywell Health uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.
American Heart Association.Walking your way to better health? Remember the acronym FIT.
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