{"id":589255,"date":"2026-08-10T21:02:09","date_gmt":"2026-08-10T21:02:09","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/589255\/"},"modified":"2026-08-10T21:02:09","modified_gmt":"2026-08-10T21:02:09","slug":"al-roker-says-this-viral-walking-routine-helped-him-go-even-farther","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/589255\/","title":{"rendered":"Al Roker Says This Viral Walking Routine Helped Him Go Even Farther"},"content":{"rendered":"

Al Roker may be an experienced walker<\/a>, but he\u2019s always up for trying something new. This weekend, the TODAY weatherman gave the Japanese walking workout trend<\/a> a try \u2014 and found that it helped him get more distance.<\/p>\n

\u201cJust tried something new for my walk,\u201d he wrote on Instagram<\/a> alongside a video from his walk. \u201cHave you heard of #japanesewalking It\u2019s interval walking. 3:00 of a hard walk; where you have trouble holding a sustained conversation. Then 3:00 of a normal walk. It let me walk further.\u201d<\/p>\n

In the video, Roker is walking outdoors and comments on the gorgeous weather and scenery.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s a beautiful morning here. No wind, a little warm, the lake is calm,\u201d he says. \u201cI hope you\u2019re calm, I hope you get a little zen, a little morning chance to reflect, (to) be grateful for what worked well last week.\u201d<\/p>\n

He continues: \u201cAnd what do you want to do for this week? What\u2019s the one thing you want to get done?\u201d Al has three goals for the week, he says, and he recommends making one easy, one more moderate and one that\u2019s hard to accomplish. <\/p>\n

\u201cIf you get through two out of three, life is pretty good,\u201d he says.<\/p>\n

What Is Japanese Walking?<\/p>\n

What\u2019s commonly referred to on social media as \u201cJapanese walking\u201d is a well-established form of interval walking training developed by researchers in Japan<\/a>. <\/p>\n

As a form of interval training, it involves alternating between periods of faster, more vigorous walking and easier, steady walking. <\/p>\n

Specifically, Japanese walking starts with 5 minutes of walking at an easy pace to warm up. Then you\u2019ll walk at a faster, harder pace for 3 minutes, followed by 3 minutes of walking at a steady pace. You\u2019ll repeat those alternating 3-minute intervals for a total of 35 minutes of walking, which can be done either outside or on a treadmill.<\/p>\n

This walking method has two major health benefits, Dr. Jocelyn Wittstein, orthopedic surgeon and author of \u201cThe Complete Bone and Joint Health Plan,\u201d tells TODAY.com.<\/p>\n

First, she says it\u2019s a form of interval training, which can help improve your VO2 max, a measure of your body\u2019s oxygen use and general fitness level.<\/p>\n

Second, this type of walking \u201cincreases the force with which your foot strikes the ground, and this can help maintain or build bone density,<\/a>\u201d Wittstein says, \u201cespecially if you\u2019re starting an exercise program and have low bone density.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cIt challenges the cardiovascular system. It\u2019s like hitting the gas and then backing off, which helps to improve heart health, lung capacity and caloric burn,\u201d Dr. Jeanne Doperak, a sports medicine physician at University of Pittsburg Medical Center, told TODAY.com previously.<\/a><\/p>\n

Interval walking can also help improve blood pressure and ramp up your metabolism, experts say.<\/p>\n

Like other high-intensity interval training (HIIT) workouts, Japanese walking leaves you with a sort of \u201cafter-burn effect,\u201d Ben Yamuder, an exercise physiologist at the Hospital for Special Surgery, told TODAY.com previously.<\/p>\n

This effect means your body needs more oxygen to refuel after your exercise, so you will continue to burn more calories even when you\u2019re done with your walk, he explained.<\/p>\n

And, because walking is generally a low-impact exercise, interval walking is great for people who want the cardiovascular benefits but can\u2019t or prefer not to do higher-impact exercises. That includes many older adults and people who are just starting to work out, as well as those recovering from injuries.<\/p>\n

Plus, as Al mentioned, those easier periods of walking are perfect for a moment of mindfulness<\/a> and reflection to set you up for a productive week.<\/p>\n