{"id":7274,"date":"2023-09-08T20:35:07","date_gmt":"2023-09-08T13:35:07","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/loudhdtv.com\/?p=7274"},"modified":"2023-09-08T20:35:07","modified_gmt":"2023-09-08T13:35:07","slug":"brisk-walking-how-to-get-faster-for-health-benefits","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/loudhdtv.com\/?p=7274","title":{"rendered":"Brisk Walking: How To Get Faster for Health Benefits"},"content":{"rendered":"<p> <script async src=\"https:\/\/pagead2.googlesyndication.com\/pagead\/js\/adsbygoogle.js?client=ca-pub-3711241968723425\"\r\n     crossorigin=\"anonymous\"><\/script><br \/>\n<\/p>\n<div>\n<div class=\"drop-cap text-big text-gray\"> <span class=\"drop-cap__first text-dropcap \">I<\/span>f you\u2019re looking to improve your cardio fitness, immune system, metabolism, and mental health, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.wellandgood.com\/hot-girl-walks\/\" referrerpolicy=\"no-referrer-when-downgrade\" data-vars-event=\"body text\" data-vars-click-url=\"https:\/\/www.wellandgood.com\/hot-girl-walks\/\">regular walking<\/a> checks all the boxes. And for those who like extra credit and want to <a href=\"https:\/\/www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov\/pmc\/articles\/PMC5412514\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" referrerpolicy=\"no-referrer-when-downgrade\" data-vars-event=\"body text\" data-vars-click-url=\"https:\/\/www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov\/pmc\/articles\/PMC5412514\/\">increase the health benefits<\/a>\u00a0even more, you can <a href=\"https:\/\/www.wellandgood.com\/better-walk-fast-walk-longer\/\" referrerpolicy=\"no-referrer-when-downgrade\" data-vars-event=\"body text\" data-vars-click-url=\"https:\/\/www.wellandgood.com\/better-walk-fast-walk-longer\/\">take your walking speed up a few notches<\/a> to the \u201cbrisk\u201d level. Apparently, it could actually add years to your life: <a href=\"https:\/\/clicks.trx-hub.com\/xid\/leafgroup_ca5e0_wellgood?q=https%3A%2F%2Fgo.skimresources.com%3Fid%3D104860X1561639%26xs%3D1%26xcust%3DSTMSFT-1110727%26url%3Dhttps%253A%252F%252Fwww.nature.com%252Farticles%252Fs42003-022-03323-x&amp;p=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.wellandgood.com%2Fwhat-is-brisk-walking%2F&amp;event_type=click\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" referrerpolicy=\"no-referrer-when-downgrade\" data-vars-event=\"body text\" data-vars-click-url=\"https:\/\/www.nature.com\/articles\/s42003-022-03323-x\">Recent research<\/a> found that a lifetime of brisk walking can lead to DNA changes equivalent to a 16-year younger biological age by midlife. That&#8217;s one seriously impressive perk!<\/div>\n<p>But how do you determine whether <a href=\"https:\/\/www.wellandgood.com\/slow-walking-vs-fast-walking\/\" referrerpolicy=\"no-referrer-when-downgrade\" data-vars-event=\"body text\" data-vars-click-url=\"https:\/\/www.wellandgood.com\/slow-walking-vs-fast-walking\/\">you\u2019re walking briskly or just taking a normal stroll<\/a>?<\/p>\n<hr\/>\n<div class=\"experts-in-article noskim py-[24px] px-[40px]\">\n<p>Experts In This Article<\/p>\n<ul class=\"!ml-[18px]\">\n<li> <a href=\"https:\/\/spauldingrehab.org\/physician\/164\/lauren-elson\" rel=\"noopener\" target=\"_blank\" referrerpolicy=\"no-referrer-when-downgrade\" data-vars-event=\"body text\" data-vars-click-url=\"https:\/\/spauldingrehab.org\/physician\/164\/lauren-elson\">Lauren Elson, MD<\/a>, board-certified sports medicine and physical medicine and rehabilitation physician with Spaulding Rehabilitation in Massachusetts and instructor in physical medicine and rehabilitation, Harvard Medical School <\/li>\n<\/ul><\/div>\n<hr\/>\n<h2>What is brisk walking?<\/h2>\n<p>What constitutes a brisk walk varies by a person\u2019s baseline individual fitness level, so the best way to tell how hard you\u2019re working is by using the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.cdc.gov\/physicalactivity\/basics\/measuring\/exertion.htm\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" referrerpolicy=\"no-referrer-when-downgrade\" data-vars-event=\"body text\" data-vars-click-url=\"https:\/\/www.cdc.gov\/physicalactivity\/basics\/measuring\/exertion.htm\">Borg Perceived Exertion Scale<\/a>, says <a href=\"https:\/\/spauldingrehab.org\/physician\/164\/lauren-elson\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" referrerpolicy=\"no-referrer-when-downgrade\" data-vars-event=\"body text\" data-vars-click-url=\"https:\/\/spauldingrehab.org\/physician\/164\/lauren-elson\">Lauren Elson, MD<\/a>, a board-certified sports medicine, and physical medicine and rehabilitation physician with Spaulding Rehabilitation in Massachusetts.<\/p>\n<p>The Borg scale uses a self-determined rating between six and 20 to measure physical activity intensity based on sensations such as increased heart rate, breathing, and muscle fatigue\u2014in other words, your \u201cperceived exertion\u201d level. A six rating is physical activity perceived as \u201cno exertion\u201d (think: lying flat on the floor) while a 20 rating is \u201cmaximum effort\u201d (think: sprinting as fast as you possible can). A perceived exertion rate of 12 to 14 typically indicates you\u2019re performing moderate-level activity\u2014which is right where you want to be for a brisk walk.<\/p>\n<p>\u201c&#8217;Brisk walking\u2019 would fit in the category of \u2018moderate activity\u2019\u2014breathing heavily, [but] able to hold brief conversations, still somewhat comfortable, but becoming more challenging,\u201d says Elson, who\u2019s also an instructor at Harvard Medical School.<\/p>\n<p>Whether you\u2019re a young adult, a senior, or somewhere in between, the Borg scale is a good gauge to determine how hard you\u2019re working because it\u2019s based on how you feel and not a predetermined formula that may not apply to your fitness level, like hitting a particular pace.<\/p>\n<div class=\"related-content \" style=\"\" data-module-init=\"related-content\" data-module-immediate=\"\" v-cloak=\"\">\n<div class=\"related-content__wrapper \" v-cloak=\"\" :class=\"{'is-loaded':isLoaded}\">\n<p> <span class=\"inline pr-6 text-seafoam-dark\">Related Stories<\/span> <\/p>\n<p> <related-content class=\"related-content__links\" parent-article-permalink=\"https:\/\/www.wellandgood.com\/what-is-brisk-walking\/\" current-title=\"What Counts as a \u2018Brisk Walk\u2019? It Depends on Your Age\" current-image=\"GettyImages-brisk-walking-425x285.jpg\" v-on:parsely-posts-loaded=\"onPostsLoaded\" start-date=\"2023-03-08\" tag=\"div\" inline-template=\"\" url=\"https:\/\/www.wellandgood.com\/what-is-brisk-walking\/\" secret=\"w5ztterVB03LGZJLfXS0hf3EvQBuFFIWew9hmVQxthU\" apikey=\"wellandgood.com\" limit=\"3\"> <\/p>\n<div>\n<div class=\"related-content__card mb-[10px] sm:mb-[20px]\" :class=\"{'related-content__card--full':posts.length === 1}\" v-for=\"(post, key) in posts\"> <a v-on:click.prevent=\"trackLinkGA($event, key)\" :href=\"https:\/\/www.wellandgood.com\/what-is-brisk-walking\/post.url\" data-url-source=\"related-content\" class=\"related-content__link\" referrerpolicy=\"no-referrer-when-downgrade\" data-vars-event=\"body text\" data-vars-click-url=\"\"> <\/p>\n<div class=\"related-content__card--image bg-tan\" :style=\"{ backgroundImage: 'url(' + post.image_url + ')' }\"> <img :src=\"https:\/\/www.wellandgood.com\/what-is-brisk-walking\/post.image_url\" :alt=\"post.title\"\/> <\/div>\n<p> <\/a>  <\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<p> <\/related-content> <\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<p>Physical changes that come with age such as <a href=\"https:\/\/pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov\/9624662\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" referrerpolicy=\"no-referrer-when-downgrade\" data-vars-event=\"body text\" data-vars-click-url=\"https:\/\/pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov\/9624662\/\">decreased muscle mass and aerobic capacity<\/a> can lower your average walking speed. (Men also typically walk slightly faster than women, FWIW.) <a href=\"https:\/\/journals.plos.org\/plosone\/article?id=10.1371\/journal.pone.0023299\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" referrerpolicy=\"no-referrer-when-downgrade\" data-vars-event=\"body text\" data-vars-click-url=\"https:\/\/journals.plos.org\/plosone\/article?id=10.1371\/journal.pone.0023299\">Research<\/a> has found that walking speed decreases by about 0.00037 meters per second per year\u2014meaning it will take the average 60-year-old about 1.2 minutes longer to walk 1 kilometer (.62 miles) than the average 20-year-old. Starting in our 60s, the <a href=\"https:\/\/pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov\/3367751\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" referrerpolicy=\"no-referrer-when-downgrade\" data-vars-event=\"body text\" data-vars-click-url=\"https:\/\/pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov\/3367751\/\">decrease in average walking speed<\/a> becomes more pronounced\u2014going from a decrease of about one to two percent per decade before age 62 to about a 16 percent decrease per decade after age 62.<\/p>\n<h2><strong>How to increase walking intensity and become a faster walker\u00a0<\/strong><\/h2>\n<p>The Borg scale can also help you determine if you need to <a href=\"https:\/\/www.health.harvard.edu\/staying-healthy\/step-up-your-walking-workouts\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" referrerpolicy=\"no-referrer-when-downgrade\" data-vars-event=\"body text\" data-vars-click-url=\"https:\/\/www.health.harvard.edu\/staying-healthy\/step-up-your-walking-workouts\">adjust your intensity level<\/a>\u00a0to put your walk into the \u201cbrisk\u201d category. For example, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.cdc.gov\/physicalactivity\/basics\/measuring\/exertion.htm\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" referrerpolicy=\"no-referrer-when-downgrade\" data-vars-event=\"body text\" data-vars-click-url=\"https:\/\/www.cdc.gov\/physicalactivity\/basics\/measuring\/exertion.htm\">the CDC recommends<\/a> that if you\u2019re aiming for moderate intensity but find your fatigue and breathing are \u201cvery light\u201d (about a 9 on the scale), you should increase your effort to a level that feels \u201csomewhat hard\u201d (12 to 14) on the scale.<\/p>\n<p>No matter your fitness level or age, there are ways you can <a href=\"https:\/\/www.wellandgood.com\/how-to-increase-walking-speed\/\" referrerpolicy=\"no-referrer-when-downgrade\" data-vars-event=\"body text\" data-vars-click-url=\"https:\/\/www.wellandgood.com\/how-to-increase-walking-speed\/\">increase your walk\u2019s intensity<\/a> and up the health benefits. \u201cAge does affect speed and recovery time, but it is always possible to improve with an appropriate plan,\u201d says Elson. Here are a few ways she suggests doing that.<\/p>\n<h3><strong>Make sure to use proper form\u00a0<\/strong><\/h3>\n<p>Think of walking like you would weightlifting, Pilates, or any other form of training\u2014<a href=\"https:\/\/www.wellandgood.com\/walking-exercise-for-seniors\/\" referrerpolicy=\"no-referrer-when-downgrade\" data-vars-event=\"body text\" data-vars-click-url=\"https:\/\/www.wellandgood.com\/walking-exercise-for-seniors\/\">technique matters<\/a>. Walk with your head high (look forward not down), and swing your arms back and forth naturally, advises Elson. Make sure to keep your back straight, your shoulders relaxed and down, and engage your core.<\/p>\n<h3><strong>Try intervals<\/strong><\/h3>\n<p>Interval training involves alternating faster-paced increments of walking with slower paced ones. High-intensity interval training, which can be done with walking, has been shown <a href=\"https:\/\/www.cell.com\/cell-metabolism\/fulltext\/S1550-4131(17)30099-2\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener nofollow\" referrerpolicy=\"no-referrer-when-downgrade\" data-vars-event=\"body text\" data-vars-click-url=\"https:\/\/www.cell.com\/cell-metabolism\/fulltext\/S1550-4131(17)30099-2\">to reverse muscle aging<\/a> at the cellular level. It will also ease you into walking faster more comfortably.<\/p>\n<p>Elson recommends walking at an average pace for about five minutes, then walking briskly for 30 seconds, and repeating the pattern five to 10 times. Eventually, you can increase the amount of time you\u2019re walking briskly.<\/p>\n<h3><strong>Use gravity<\/strong><\/h3>\n<p>Walking on any kind of upwards incline, whether on a hill outdoors or a treadmill, will increase the intensity and improve your lower-body strength so that you eventually can walk faster.<\/p>\n<h3><strong>Skip the dumbbells<\/strong><\/h3>\n<p>Though you\u2019ve probably seen people walking with a light weight in each hand, doing so throws your natural gait off balance, affecting your form and possibly causing injury. \u201cStrength should come from the core, so putting weights on the extremities is not great,\u201d says Elson.<\/p>\n<h3><strong>Work up to it gradually<\/strong><\/h3>\n<p>If you have limitations or have never done a walking routine before, don\u2019t just take off on a brisk walk right out of the gate. Start slowly, beginning your walks at a more leisurely pace, then increasing your speed after several minutes. Eventually you can work your way up to longer stretches\u2014but the fact that you\u2019re out there moving is already a positive, says Elson<\/p>\n<p>\u201cAny walking is better than none and multiple short walks may be equivalent to one long one.\u00a0Just walking 30 minutes a day has been shown to have benefit,\u201d she adds.<\/p>\n<h3><strong>Set yourself up for success<\/strong><\/h3>\n<p>Finally, before any walk Elson advises warming up for at least five minutes doing moves like leg swings, then cooling down and stretching afterwards. Also don\u2019t forget to invest in a pair of comfortable <a href=\"https:\/\/www.wellandgood.com\/best-shoes-walking-standing-all-day\/\" referrerpolicy=\"no-referrer-when-downgrade\" data-vars-event=\"body text\" data-vars-click-url=\"https:\/\/www.wellandgood.com\/best-shoes-walking-standing-all-day\/\">walking shoes<\/a>\u2014it\u2019s a small price to pay to reap the substantial ROI brisk walking can bring to your overall health.<\/p>\n<div class=\"post-citations mt-[40px] mb-[30px]\" data-module-init=\"main-2020\/post-citations\" data-module-immediate=\"true\">\n<hr class=\"!border-seafoam-dark mb-[24px]\"\/>\n<div class=\"post-citations-content flex flex-col gap-[24px]\">\n<p>Well+Good articles reference scientific, reliable, recent, robust studies to back up the information we share. You can trust us along your wellness journey.<\/p>\n<div>\n<ol class=\"!ml-[18px] !mt-0\">\n<li>\n              Tudor-Locke, Catrine et al. \u201cStep-Based Physical Activity Metrics and Cardiometabolic Risk: NHANES 2005-2006.\u201d\u00a0<i>Medicine and science in sports and exercise<\/i>\u00a0vol. 49,2 (2017): 283-291. doi:10.1249\/MSS.0000000000001100            <\/li>\n<li>\n              Dempsey, P.C., Musicha, C., Rowlands, A.V. et al. \u201cInvestigation of a UK biobank cohort reveals causal associations of self-reported walking pace with telomere length.\u201d <i>Commun Biol<\/i>\u00a05, 381 (2022). doi.org\/10.1038\/s42003-022-03323-x            <\/li>\n<li>\n              \u201cAmerican College of Sports Medicine Position Stand. Exercise and physical activity for older adults.\u201d\u00a0<i>Medicine and science in sports and exercise<\/i>\u00a0vol. 30,6 (1998): 992-1008.            <\/li>\n<li>\n              Schimpl, Michaela , et al. \u201cAssociation between Walking Speed and Age in Healthy, Free-Living Individuals Using Mobile Accelerometry\u2014A Cross-Sectional Study.\u201d <em>PLOS ONE<\/em>, 2011, https:\/\/doi.org\/doi.org\/10.1371\/journal.pone.0023299.            <\/li>\n<li>\n              Himann, J E et al. \u201cAge-related changes in speed of walking.\u201d\u00a0<i>Medicine and science in sports and exercise<\/i>\u00a0vol. 20,2 (1988): 161-6. doi:10.1249\/00005768-198820020-00010            <\/li>\n<li>\n              Robinson, Matthew M., et al. \u201cEnhanced Protein Translation Underlies Improved Metabolic and Physical Adaptations to Different Exercise Training Modes in Young and Old Humans.\u201d <em>Cell Metabolism<\/em>, 2017, https:\/\/doi.org\/doi.org\/10.1016\/j.cmet.2017.02.009.            <\/li>\n<\/ol><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<hr class=\"!border-seafoam-dark mt-[24px]\"\/>\n  <\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<div data-type=\"_mgwidget\" data-widget-id=\"1675549\">\r\n<\/div>\r\n<script>(function(w,q){w[q]=w[q]||[];w[q].push([\"_mgc.load\"])})(window,\"_mgq\");\r\n<\/script>\r\n\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>If you\u2019re looking to improve your cardio fitness, immune system, metabolism, and mental health, regular walking checks all the boxes. And for those who like extra credit and want to increase the health benefits\u00a0even more, you can take your walking speed up a few notches to the \u201cbrisk\u201d level. Apparently, it could actually add years &hellip;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":7272,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[4],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-7274","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-health"],"aioseo_notices":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/loudhdtv.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/7274","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/loudhdtv.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/loudhdtv.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/loudhdtv.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/loudhdtv.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=7274"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/loudhdtv.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/7274\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/loudhdtv.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/7272"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/loudhdtv.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=7274"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/loudhdtv.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=7274"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/loudhdtv.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=7274"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}