Flourish Health & Wellbeing eMag - Latest Edition - Flipbook - Page 17
What is
It’s o昀케cial — interval walking, or “Japanese walking,” has
catapulted from a niche study to a full-blown social media
sensa琀椀on. Fitness in昀氀uencers, wellness blogs, and mainstream
media outlets are ligh琀椀ng up with its appeal.
If you like the idea of ge琀�ng 昀椀琀琀er without lacing up for a run,
interval walking might be your new best friend. The premise is
simple: alternate short bursts of brisk walking with easy recovery
strolls. The results? Surprisingly powerful — from heart health and
昀椀tness gains to be琀琀er blood sugar control — and all you need is a
footpath and a 琀椀mer.
interval walking?
The most studied
version comes
from researchers at
Shinshu University in
Japan. Their “Interval
Walking Training”
(IWT) alternates
3 minutes of fast
walking (roughly
70–85% of your max
aerobic e昀昀ort — you’ll
be breathing hard,
but s琀椀ll walking) with
3 minutes of gentle
walking (~40% e昀昀ort).
Repeat this 昀椀ve 琀椀mes
for a 30-minute
session, at least four
days a week.
