Regarding exercise, walking is one of the simplest yet most effective activities around. Putting one foot in front of the other burns calories strengthens muscles, reduces stress, and more. But is there such a thing as an optimal walking pace connected to even bigger health outcomes? Research shows that a moderately brisk pace seems to offer the most disease-fighting, life-extending perks.
Walking’s Many Benefits
First, it’s important to understand all the proven positives associated with a regular walking regimen. Walking just 30 minutes a day can:
● Strengthen your heart and lungs
● Lower your risk for high blood pressure and heart disease
● Reduce your risk of type 2 diabetes and metabolic syndrome
● Improve your blood cholesterol levels
● Help maintain a healthy weight and body mass index (BMI)
● Keep your thinking sharp
● Reduce your risk of dementia
● Boost your mood
● Ease symptoms of depression and anxiety
● Support better sleep
● Improve balance and coordination
Research has connected regular walking with disease prevention across all the major organ systems and physiological processes like circulation, respiration, weight management, mental health, and much more. It’s one of the closest things we have to a magic bullet when it comes to long-term health.
But these benefits seem to be most pronounced at certain paces. Let’s walk through the research…
Improve joint health with a special ingredient blend that rehydrates & thickens synovial fluid. Click for more info
Calculating Your Pace
Before diving in, it helps to understand walking paces and how they translate into mph. Here’s a simple technique:
Count the number of steps you take in one minute while walking at a comfortable, natural pace.
A typical step pace count may range anywhere from 100 to 130 steps per minute. Then, divide that number by 1,500 and multiply it by 3.5. For example:
120 steps per minute / 1500 x 3.5 mph = 2.8 mph
This calculates your walking speed in miles per hour.
As a very general guide:
- 2 to 2.9 mph is considered a leisurely pace
- 3 to 3.9 mph is a moderately brisk pace
- 4+ mph is a brisk pace
But what do we mean by “brisk” exactly?
Defining “Brisk” and Its Health Connections
In many studies, researchers define brisk walking based on metabolic equivalents or METs. One MET equals your resting metabolic rate while seated. Walking faster than 3 mph generally exceeds 3 METs, indicating moderately vigorous physical activity. At this level, you should be breathing heavier and finding it somewhat hard to carry on long conversations due to added exertion.
Here’s the compelling part — sustaining this brisk pace seems closely tied to significant health and longevity dividends like enhanced cardiovascular fitness, better weight control, improved quality sleep, reduced anxiety, and more.
Let’s review some of the evidence…
Brisk Walking Lowers Disease Risk and Mortality
A 2021 study followed over 400,000 UK adults for over a decade. Those who regularly walked at a brisk or vigorous pace showed:
● 20% lower risk of heart disease and stroke
● 17% lower risk of death from heart disease or stroke
● 15% reduced risk of death from cancer
● 15% lower risk of death from any cause
Another 2021 study of nearly 90,000 older women found those who walked at a brisk or very brisk pace had up to a 25% lower risk of developing dementia decades later compared to light-paced walkers.
A 2020 study published in JAMA Internal Medicine tracked 44,000 Chinese adults over a decade. Brisk walkers enjoyed a:
● 68% lower risk of cardiovascular disease mortality
● 38% lower risk of all-cause mortality
● 36% lower risk of cancer mortality
Compared to slower walkers, those who moved at brisk walking paces lived significantly longer lives with major added protection against chronic diseases.
Improve joint health with a special ingredient blend that rehydrates & thickens synovial fluid. Click for more info
More Mental Health Uplift from Brisk Walking
Moving at an invigorating but not exhausting pace also appears best for elevating mood and easing depression.
For example, an Oxford University study instructed depressed adults to walk for 30 minutes, 3 days a week for 3 months. One group was guided to walk at a casual stroll, another at a brisk pace — defined as just short of leaving them slightly out of breath.
The brisk walkers showed almost double the reduction in depressive symptoms compared to the casual group — with a greater number no longer classified as clinically depressed by the end.
In another study, older adults with subsyndromal depression — not a full diagnosis but elevated symptoms — were also prescribed brisk 30-minute walks 3 times weekly. After 12 weeks, almost 70% saw their symptoms dissipate altogether.
The mental health boost may come from brisk walking’s ability to stimulate the release of feel-good neurotransmitters like serotonin while lowering stress hormones. It’s a powerful mood balancer.
Optimizing Your Pace for Weight Maintenance
If one of your walking goals is avoiding weight gain or stubborn pounds over the years, a moderately brisk pace also appears ideal.
One study followed over 14,000 brisk walkers for 6 years. Those who slowed their walking pace during the follow-up years gained more weight than those who maintained their habitual brisk speed.
Brisk walkers also burned more calories per mile. At 3 mph, a 155 lb person burns an estimated 167 calories per mile. At 4 mph, it jumps to about 204 calories per mile burned. Over a month or year, those extra calories can add up!
And increasing pace Rather than simply walking longer, may be key for dialing up fat burning as well. In one study, walking at 4 mph burned fat at double the rate compared to 2 mph despite both covering the same distance.
But intensity matters too. Very vigorous-paced walking at near exhaustion every day could backfire due to pushing beyond safe limits. Think sustainable, brisk pace rather than ragged, intense intervals that stress joints.
Improve joint health with a special ingredient blend that rehydrates & thickens synovial fluid. Click for more info
Optimizing Your Weekly Volume
As helpful as a brisk walking pace may be, higher total weekly mileage regardless of speed delivers huge benefits as well.
One major study of over 50,000 walkers found:
- Walking 5 to 7 hours per week extended life span by 3 years
- Walking 7 to 9 hours weekly added 4.5 years
- Over 9 hours extended life expectancy by 6.7 years!
Those who walked the most burned 7,000 to 9,000+ calories more monthly enjoying lower rates of heart disease mortality, cardiovascular events, and premature death in general.
So while a moderately brisk pace ticks up intensity, focus first on increasing your overall weekly walking volume even if that means staying at a comfortable speed that you can sustain over longer durations. Just keep moving!
Conclusion
Science leaves little doubt that picking up the pace while walking, ideally for over 7 hours weekly, significantly slashes risk for all leading causes of disease and death. Squeezing in extra steps at roughly 3 to 4 mph bestows the most potent protective effects whether your goal is improving heart health, losing weight, or just feeling happier.
Of course, any walking brings bountiful benefits. But targeting a moderately brisk rhythm rewards you with even greater gains. As the saying goes life is better at walking speed. We just may need to calibrate what that cadence looks like for optimizing wellness.
So next time you head out for a walk, consider using the steps per minute technique to gauge if your pace qualifies as truly brisk. You may be surprised to find you need to pick up speed more than expected to reap maximum benefits. Improving our pace can pay big dividends, adding life to our years and years to our lives in the process.
Improve joint health with a special ingredient blend that rehydrates & thickens synovial fluid. Click for more info
Post a Comment
0Comments