If you’re too busy to hit the gym, there’s no need to worry. New research suggests that incorporating just 15 minutes of fast walking into your daily routine can help you stay healthy. While it’s generally recommended that individuals aim for 150 minutes of moderate physical activity each week for optimal health benefits, Dr. Wei Zheng, the study’s corresponding author, notes that if reaching 150 minutes feels overwhelming, walking briskly for at least 15 minutes a day can provide similar health advantages.
The study, published in the American Journal of Preventative Medicine, involved nearly 85,000 participants, primarily from low-income and Black communities, recruited between 2002 and 2009. The participants initially completed a comprehensive questionnaire about their exercise routines, average workout duration, walking speed, and overall health. They filled out a follow-up questionnaire 16 years later, and the analysis of this data began in 2023.
We know “fast walking is good compared to slow walking,” but there isn’t much research on how many minutes you should spend fast walking on average, said Zheng, director of the Vanderbilt Epidemiology Center and the Anne Potter Wilson Professor in Medicine at Vanderbilt University Medical Center in Nashville, Tennessee.
On average, study participants who fast walked for at least 15 minutes every day saw a nearly 20% reduction in premature death compared with a 4% reduction among participants who walked slowly for a total of more than three hours a day.
“We’ve actually known for quite a long time that walking speed correlates with outcomes, meaning the faster you walk, the better you do. And it certainly makes sense, because you can imagine, somebody who’s in really bad shape is probably not going to be able to walk very quickly,” said Dr. Andrew Freeman, director of cardiovascular prevention and wellness at National Jewish Health in Denver. He was not involved in the study.
How walking can impact your health
Walking offers numerous health benefits, including weight management, better control of blood sugar levels, reduced risk of cancer, alleviation of joint pain, and enhanced immune function. Health experts have observed that regular exercise helps blood vessels relax and dilate more effectively. Additionally, exercise is associated with lower cholesterol levels and a decreased risk of cancer, which overall contributes to better health, as noted by Freeman.
Recent research indicates that walking daily can also lower the risk of dementia or cognitive decline in individuals predisposed to Alzheimer’s disease. Engaging in regular physical activity, such as walking, promotes better sleep and reduces inflammation, thereby improving brain structure, according to the Piedmont Medical Center in South Carolina. Zheng emphasises that all forms of exercise, whether slow or fast, provide some health benefits. However, studies suggest that brisk walking for as little as 15 minutes a day can yield significant advantages.
Research has shown that fast walking offers specific health benefits, including a reduced risk of heart failure, arrhythmias, and type 2 diabetes. Exercise significantly impacts blood pressure, which is a critical risk factor for heart-related events. For instance, for every 20-point increase in blood pressure above 120—considered normal or healthy—the risk of a cardiac event roughly doubles. Therefore, maintaining regular exercise is essential, as it helps lower blood pressure, a powerful and exponential risk factor for heart disease.
Get your heart pumping
In general, you can tell you’re fast walking when you’re able to talk but not sing, according to the United Kingdom’s National Health Service. Alternatively, you can increase your walking pace by a couple of steps and track it with a metronome, according to a July study. “I usually recommend that they get up before work, and they go for a brisk walk or a bike or a swim, or they do some high-intensity interval training, whatever it is that they’re into,” Freeman said. People can go to “a rec center, or they walk outside, if it is safe, or whatever it may be, and just weave it into their day.”
Following good walking form, such as standing tall with your shoulders back and swinging your arms, can help prevent backaches, make it easy to breathe and keep you balanced. “Walking is a full-body movement. It is not just about your lower body. It’s not just one step in front of the one foot in front of the other,” said Dana Santas, a certified strength and conditioning specialist and mind-body coach in professional sports, in a previous article.
“Your arm swing is a huge part involved in the mechanics of walking. So, you want to have an arm swing that’s coordinated with your foot movement, so it’s opposing,” she added.
Want to take it up a notch? When doing any form of exercise, try to practice conscious or nasal breathing, which is when you inhale through your nose and exhale through your mouth. This helps regulate blood pressure and can prevent hypertension, according to Santas.
Source: CNN
