The Rise of Japanese Walking: A Smarter Way to Get Fit

I do love to get my 10K daily steps in and so I'm delighted to see t"Japanese walking," coming into trend...

This is simply interval walking. Instead of steady brisk walking or running, interval walking takes turns at high- and low-intensity exercise. Walkers typically walk quickly for three minutes, then slowly for three minutes, and alternate five times for a quick and simple 30-minute workout.

What distinguishes Japanese walking is not just its structure, but its origin. The method was developed in Japan after researchers observed that older adults would lose interest if they were told to walk briskly for 30 minutes straight. In a test, about 80 people were initially asked to sustain high-intensity walking for 30 minutes, four times a week, for four months. Most gave up — describing the regimen as boring or too strenuous.

When the scientists replaced it with interval walking instead, compliance soared. Participants found the changing pace more manageable, and the health reward was even greater. Participants who did interval walking had superior leg strength, fitness, and blood pressure compared to those who persisted with continuous steady walking at around 8,000 steps a day.

Why Interval Walking Works

The key to the success of Japanese walking lies in its balance. By alternating between work and recuperation, it presents just enough challenge to enhance cardiovascular fitness and muscular endurance, yet enough rest to prevent fatigue or boredom.

In this format, it becomes appealing to populations that might otherwise find exercise difficult, especially older populations that may be discouraged by more intense regimes

And of course psychologically it's much easier to do chunks of 3 minutes rather than a 30 minute all-out routine.

Final thoughts...

Over all I'm all for this, my cynical brain-thing is happy to stay quiet, I mean this may be exercise for lazy people, but if it can help keep more people fitter and healthier for longer, fair game!