How to Maximize the Health Benefits of Walking
Walking has many health benefits: improving heart health, reducing blood sugar, burn calories for weight loss and improving muscle tone.
But most searches on walking have focused on the duration of the walking, not at what speed. Recent studies have suggested that the modification of your walking pace – which has become popular as a Japanese walk (also known as the interval market) – for additional advantages.
In a study published in the American Journal of Preventive MedicineResearchers led by Dr. Wei Zheng, professor and director of the Vanderbilt University Epidemiology Center, studied if the rhythm of walking made a difference in people’s health. They studied 86,000 people who reported how much they walked every day, as well as other health -related activities such as their diet and they were smoking or drinking alcohol. More than 17 years, researchers have followed their mortality rates and correlated mortality with their walking mode.
They found that people walking at a faster rate for at least 15 minutes a day had a lower risk of dying during the study period than those who walked more slowly. The two groups lowered their risk of death during this period, but the reduction was more impressive in those who regularly walked at a more lively rate.
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Although these results are not entirely surprising, Zheng claims that the trial has focused on a group of people who are generally not part of the exercise studies. About half of the people in the trial earned less than $ 15,000 per year, and two thirds of the participants were black. Studies have documented that these groups “are at high risk many diseases, including diabetes and hypertension”, explains Zheng – so the lower mortality rate is particularly reassuring, as it represents a relatively low impact and a low cost means to improve health.
Current government health recommendations advise moderate exercise for at least 30 minutes most days of the week, and Zheng says that his study shows that even 15 minutes a day can provide advantages. This is good news for people who can currently be sedentary and for whom the start of an exercise program can be difficult. “If you only walk 15 minutes a day, which is below the recommended level [of exercise]You always benefit from it, ”he says.
And while the results have shown that people who walked the fastest had the greatest reduction in mortality, Zheng says it is important to remember that even people walking at a slower rate have shown a certain advantage. This suggests that if people continue to walk, even at a slower pace, and add a few minutes of faster pace when entering their diet, they could increase their health benefits. Such training at the interval has long been popular in exercise regimes, but the latest data suggests that it also applies to walking.
