Walking is having a moment right now. And a for good reasons, as it is a type of exercise accessible and safe for most people, that doesn’t require a gym membership or specialized equipment besides a good pair of shoes. And with the rise of fitness trackers, most of us are logging our daily steps. I certainly am.
But is such a gentle exercise enough for health and fitness?
The answer is… it depends. It depends on your goals:
- If your goal is general health and wellness, to reduce the risk of chronic diseases like high blood pressure or insulin resistance, than yes, walking may suffice. Walking can help extend our lifespan.
- If your goal is optimized health and wellness, walking is going to fall short in most cases. To improve our health span, other types of exercise, in form and intensity, are needed. The intensity that can be achieved by walking, even with a brisk or hilly walk, is not going to develop all the fitness aspects like full-body functional strength, mobility or prevent the decline of fast muscle fibers, which occurs naturally with age. Beyond the baseline cardiovascular conditioning that walking provides, these other aspects of fitness are key to maintaining physical self-sufficiency as we age (our health span).
Number of steps per day: quality over quantity
For a long time, we have heard that hitting a minimum number of steps per day is paramount for health. 10,000 steps is a popular goal, although what health studies found out is that at least 4000, and ideally 7500, are enough for health. The 10,000 step number originated as part of a pedometer marketing campaign, not health studies.
Keep in mind too that more is not necessarily better when it comes to steps, as benefits increase slowly above 7500, and the higher the number of steps, the higher the strain we put on our body, including our muscles and joints. It’s a matter of finding the right balance. Personally, my baseline goal is 5000 and my aspire is 7500. And if I happen to do more, that’s awesome.
Not all the steps are created equal, though. A relaxed stroll in the park is going to impact our body differently than a short, but brisk, walk in our neighborhood. Therefore, we need to consider the quality, or type, of our steps too, besides the quantity:
- 10,000 steps a day, at a relaxed pace: good, but will not promote optimal health.
- 7,000 steps a day, mix of relaxed and brisk paces: best health outcomes.
This is why.
How to optimize your step count for health
Current cardiovascular exercise guidance for adults is at least 150 minutes of moderate intensity per week, 75 minutes of high intensity, or a combination. Actually, combination is best, as there are benefits of working at both intensities. A polarized 80/20 training with 80% of the time, or steps, at moderate intensity, and 20% of the time, or steps, at high intensity is recommended to achieve more benefits efficiently.
As moderate intensity we can consider 65% maximum heart rate (HR), typically equivalent to a brisk walk while you can keep a conversation. This is sometimes called “Zone 2” of HR. For high intensity, we can consider 85% of maximum HR. This is sometimes called Anaerobic Threshold or Tempo Zone.
Now let’s calculate how much time an individual whose maximum HR is 181 needs to spend in each training zone to optimize their step count for health (if you don’t know your max HR, you can use search for a calculator online or use this one).
80% at moderate intensity:
- 80% of 150 min/week in moderate zone = 120 minutes.
- 65% of max HR of 181 bpm = 118 bmp.
- This person can aim for at least 120 min/week at about 118 beats per minute. This can be achieved with a brisk walk or very light jog.
20% at high intensity:
- 20% of 150 min/week in high intensity zone = 30 minutes.
- 85% of max HR 181 bpm = 153 bmp.
- This person can aim for at least 30 min/week at about 153 beats per minute. This can be achieved with a jog or run, hills, sprinting, vigorous dancing, and other non-walking disciplines like plyometric or catalystenic exercises, kickboxing, rowing or cycling.
Putting all together, this example individual with 181 max HR can follow this template to meet both their step count and exercise guidelines for optimal health:
- 4x 30 min brisk walks per week at 118 bpm (total 120 min)
- 2x 15 min jogs per week at 153 bpm (total 30 min)
OR – they can combine both moderate and high intensity in the same workout in a modality called HIIT (High Intensity Interval Training). In HIIT, short burst of high intensity are interspersed with longer periods of lower intensity. Cycling classes, interval runs (fartlek) or bootcamps are good options. This approach is usually preferred to just high intensity, as switching intensities has additional cardiovascular benefits, and makes high intensity more accessible (and less exhausting) by incorporating active recovery periods at lower intensities.
How to integrate everything?
Here is a basic example weekly schedule for someone aiming to hit their step count, meet exercise guidelines, and optimized their health:
- 4x 30 min sessions of brisk walking (or dancing), at 65% max HR
- 2x 15 min high intensity sessions, aiming 85% max HR.
- 2x full body strength session per week (also part of the current exercise guidelines).
This is a more advanced weekly schedule example, with more workout variety:
- Monday: 40 min brisk walk/jog or other form of moderate cardio + stretching.
- Tuesday: 30 min HIIT, strength and cardio circuit.
- Wednesday: Rest.
- Thursday: 20 min brisk walk + strength training.
- Friday: 20 min HIIT, interval cardio based (sprints, spinning, hills, etc.).
- Saturday: 60 min brisk walk.
- Sunday: Rest or gentle stretching/yoga.
Summary
In this article, we have learned that walking can be enough exercise for health, specially to reduce the risk of chronic conditions, but generally does not suffice to achieve optimal health and fitness. It’s not only a matter of how many steps we log, but also the stimuli that the steps apply to our cardiovascular and muscular system.
If you are aiming for optimal health and wellness, I invite you to think beyond step quantity, and incorporate some quality steps in your routine. You can refer to the two templates I shared in the previous section for guidance. If the example plans sound too cumbersome, simply aim for 150 min of moderate activity and incorporate hills or speed walking a couple of days a week.
Important: If you are new to fitness or have a chronic condition, please check with your health provider before starting any fitness regime. The information shared in this article is for educational purposes only and should not be used to diagnose or treat, nor followed without medical clearance.
Be well,
Isabel
thrivebytheslice.com 