Words by Sarah Mitchell for Body+Soul

 

Walking is the easiest, most simple exercise you can do to improve your health. But new research shows this small tweak can increase the payoff.

The list of benefits of a morning walk is endless.

In addition to the mood boost that comes with getting some fresh air and sunlight, starting your day with a stroll can prompt your brain to release a bunch of happy hormones ahead of your work day, boost circulation, ease joint pain, tone muscles and improve sleep. 

You also get the pride that comes with actually doing something between waking up and heading to the office.

New research has found that we can reap more health benefits with just one small tweak to our hot girl walks.

 

How the speed of your walk affects your health

Published in PLOS One journal, a team from the University of Chicago found that simply speeding up your walk can make a significant difference to your health, especially if you’re older.

The researchers wanted to see if older people could fend off frailty just by walking. They assessed the pace of 102 older adults with a median age of 79, all of whom were considered frail, lived in a retirement community, and half used a walking stick or frame.

The average volunteer took about 3700-3800 steps each day before taking part in the study.

The team found that regardless of age, boosting the intensity of our walks leads to better physical function.

Older adults who experienced fatigue, unexplained weight loss and a loss of strength were able to walk further when purposely walking faster, trekking an extra 14 steps per minute compared to their usual pace.

The participants were split into two groups, one walking at a high intensity three days a week for four months, while the other walked casually for the same duration.

Their routines included a warm up, walking up and down stairs, walking in different directions and walking with 2.3kg ankle weights on. The first group walked as fast as they felt they safely could, while the other maintained a comfortable pace.

Research assistants walked alongside the participants, and after four months following this regimen, those who did the higher-intensity exercise were more likely to see a noticeable improvement in their physical function.

They walked 100 steps per minute on average, while the casual walkers averaged 77 steps per minute.

Lead author of the analysis, Daniel Rubin said, “it’s okay to sweat a little bit, to have your heart racing a little bit, to breathe a little heavier”.

“Even as a 79-year-old.”

 

How to ease into high-intensity walking

The researchers determined that we should really be aiming to boost intensity instead of distance or duration while walking then, with the trial’s principal investigator, Margaret Danilovich, saying, “every step you take is going to be better for your health”.

But, “if you really want to maximise the treatment effects, go for intensity.”

Naturally, it can be hard to go from a more sedentary lifestyle straight into more intense exercise.

So if you want to up your output, intervals may be your best friend.

Interval training has been having a moment for a while now, with high-intensity interval training (HIIT) being the focus of many an exercise plan.

Some people have started recommending incorporating the intervals into our walks too, with techniques such as Fartlek and Japanese Walking growing more popular.

Trainer Sam Wood explained to Body+Soul that “Japanese interval walking is simply three minutes of slow walking, followed by three minutes of brisk walking, repeated for about 30 minutes”.

Sounds easy enough.

Interested in incorporating the method into your morning? You can read all about B+S digital editor Holly Berckelman’s experience with it here.

 

This article first appeared in Body+Soul.