What Happens to Your Body When You Try 4 Different Types of Walking

Walking is a healthy physical activity. The type of walking you do can determine which health and wellness benefits you reap.

1. Brisk Walking

Brisk walking is a moderate-intensity exercise. You are walking fast enough (generally 2.5 to 4.5 miles per hour) when you are breathing harder than normal and can still talk in full sentences, but can’t sing.

Health benefits of brisk walking for at least 30 minutes at a time, most days (150 minutes or more per week), include:

• Decreases the risk of heart disease and improves cardiovascular health
• Lowers the risk of developing type 2 diabetes
• Lowers blood pressure
• Supports weight management
• Improves cognitive abilities and lowers the risk of dementia
• Reduces risk of depression and improves mood
• Improves sleep quality
• Helps maintain bone and joint health, including reducing loss of bone density

2. Power Walking

Power walking emphasizes proper form, including arm motion and a powerful stride, while walking fast. The pace will generally be 4 to 5.5 miles per hour. You may be able to achieve high-intensity exercise levels, where you are breathing very hard and can only speak a few words at a time.

Health benefits of power walking regularly include those of brisk walking, but also the benefits of a higher level of exertion:

• Improves cardiovascular fitness and muscular fitness
• Improves circulation, reduces blood pressure, and improves cholesterol to lower cardiovascular health risks
• Lowers risk of type 2 diabetes
• Supports weight management
• Relieves stress, boosts mood, and reduces cognitive decline
• Helps keep joints healthy and reduces loss of bone density

3. Japanese Walking (Interval Walking Training)

Japanese walking is also called interval walking training. In this form of walking, you alternate between an easy and fast pace every three minutes for 30 minutes. This adds intensity to a walking workout.

Benefits of Japanese walking include:

• Improves your aerobic capacity (VO2max), an indicator of cardiovascular fitness
• Lowers your blood pressure
• As a moderate-to-intense exercise, provides the other health benefits of brisk walking

4. Walking 10,000 Steps per Day

While 10,000 steps per day is not a magic number, it can be a good target. However, it doesn’t in itself indicate whether you are getting enough moderate-intensity physical activity to reduce health risks. Various studies show:

• Achieving 10,000 steps per day is associated with a lower risk of death and lower incidence of cardiovascular disease and some cancers. The researchers noted that if some steps are faster, there may be additional health benefits.
• In another study, a lower risk of death was seen for people under age 60 who achieved 8,000 to 10,000 steps per day, and for people over 60 who achieved 6,000 to 8,000 steps per day.