Japanese Walking: A Simple Way to Get More from Your Walk

Walking is one of the best exercises you can do.  It’s convenient, inexpensive, easy on the joints, and doesn’t require a gym membership.

But what if you could make your regular walk a little more effective without walking for hours?

That’s where interval walking training, sometimes called “Japanese walking,” comes in.  Instead of walking at the same pace for your entire walk, you alternate between periods of brisk walking and easier walking.

Research suggests this approach provides greater improvements in fitness and several measures of health than walking at a steady pace.

 

What Exactly Is Japanese Walking?

The original interval walking protocol was developed by Japanese researchers studying ways to improve the health and fitness of older adults.

The basic approach is this:

3 minutes of brisk walking → 3 minutes of easier walking

You repeat that pattern for about 30 minutes.

During the faster intervals, you’re walking at a pace that noticeably increases your breathing and heart rate.  During the slower intervals, you back off and allow yourself to recover.

The goal is to give your body a little more stimulus than it’s used to, and then allow it to adapt.  Think of it as giving your body a little challenge, followed by an opportunity to recover, then repeating the process.

 

What Does the Research Say?

One of the original studies on interval walking followed more than 200 adults with an average age of about 63.

The researchers compared interval walking with traditional walking and found greater improvements with interval walking in several areas, including:

• Blood pressure
• Blood glucose
• Aerobic fitness
• Body composition
• Physical strength

Even more importantly, researchers found that a large majority of participants were able to stick with the program. That’s important because one of the biggest challenges with exercise isn’t necessarily knowing what to do (or what we should be doing), it’s finding something you can realistically continue doing.

Exercise only works if you actually do it!

You Don’t Have to Start With 30 Minutes

Don’t feel that you have to start with interval walking on day 1. If you haven’t been walking regularly, start with working your way up to a regular 30-minute walk.  Once you are able to walk for 30 minutes then you can start to add in intervals.

While there is no cookie cutter formula for starting interval walking, a sample plan could be:

5 minutes: Easy walking to warm up
30 seconds: Brisk walking
90 seconds: Comfortable walking
Repeat: Several times
5 minutes: Easy walking to cool down

As your fitness improves, gradually increase the length of your brisk intervals.

Eventually, you may work your way toward the traditional 3 minutes brisk / 3 minutes easy pattern.

The key is to stay within your ability.

How Hard Should the Fast Walking Be?

One simple option is the talk test.

During your easier walking periods, you should be able to carry on a normal conversation.

During the faster intervals, your breathing should become noticeably heavier.  You may be able to speak a few words or a short sentence, but you wouldn’t want to carry on a long conversation.

That’s usually a good sign that you’ve increased the intensity without turning your walk into an all-out effort.

 

A Few Things to Keep in Mind

As with any new exercise program, listen to your body.

If you haven’t exercised for a while, start conservatively and gradually build up.

A few other simple tips:

• Wear comfortable, supportive walking shoes.
• Choose a safe, relatively flat walking route when you’re starting.
• Don’t worry about matching someone else’s pace, go at your own pace.
• Increase your intensity gradually.

Start where you are.  Walk at a pace that’s appropriate for you.  Then, little by little, challenge your body to do a bit more.

Adding short periods of brisk walking to an otherwise comfortable walk can give your cardiovascular system and muscles a different challenge while keeping the exercise relatively simple and accessible.

Take advantage of an indoor walking track during inclement weather:

• Miskin Centre
• Wellness Centre
• Millbrook Arena