![\"Woman](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/GettyImages-1438664768.jpg\")
\n\t\tWhat\u2019s Japanese Interval Walking all about? (Picture: Getty Images)<\/p>\n
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\n\t\tWhat\u2019s Japanese Interval Walking all about? (Picture: Getty Images)<\/p>\n
\u2018Tis the season to indulge (no amount of pigs in blankets<\/a> will ever be enough) \u2013 which means that, come January<\/a>, many choose to focus on their health<\/a>.<\/p>\n But rather than set lofty fitness goals <\/a>for 2026, there\u2019s a manageable new work-out<\/a> that you might want to give a go instead.<\/p>\n According to PureGym\u2019s annual report, Japanese walking is set to be the fastest-growing fitness trend next year, as in 2025 alone, the exercise had a 3,000% surge in online searches.<\/p>\n It\u2019s included in a list alongside walking yoga (unsurprisingly, a combo of yoga and walking) and the plank hover (a move that levels up the plank, including subtle lifts and holds)<\/p>\n Japanese Interval Walking is easy to master. All you need to do is walk at a quick pace for three minutes, then slow down for three.<\/p>\n The fast pace should be enough to get your heart rate up considerably (if you have an exercise watch, it should be between 70 and 85% of your maximum, which you can calculate by subtracting your age from 220).<\/p>\n During the slow pace, you can take it easy again and whack it down a notch. For this little break, you should be strolling \u2013 and letting your heart rate come down to between 40 to 50% of your maximum measure.<\/p>\n Got the gist? You just need to repeat five times for a 30-minute period. And the best bit? All you\u2019ll need is your trainers and something to time yourself with \u2013 even if it\u2019s just your phone<\/a>, or even a good old-fashioned watch.<\/p>\n Naturally, it\u2019s taken the internet by storm<\/a>. <\/p>\n Over on TikTok<\/a>, @paigepaxtonsnyder<\/a> tried it as a \u2018fun way\u2019 to get her steps in. In her view, it kept exercise \u2018interesting\u2019 \u2013 and she levelled it up by wearing a weighted vest, all while staying in Zone 2.<\/p>\n @organicpilates is also a convert, and particularly enjoys doing it on a \u2018sunny day\u2019 to \u2018increase happiness.\u2019 We could all do with topping up our dopamine levels, that\u2019s for sure.<\/p>\n What are the benefits of Japanese Interval Walking? <\/p>\n The benefits of interval walking are myriad, too \u2013 with one study published in UC Davis<\/a> concluding that it typically helps you to burn more fat and muscle, if that\u2019s something you\u2019re looking to do.<\/p>\n Plus, HIIT exercises can lower both blood pressure and heart rate \u2013 both things that can help you live longer \u2013 but you\u2019ll need to make sure you come prepared, as if you go too hard too soon, then you risk being left with injuries to either your muscles or joints.<\/p>\n We tried the trend\u2026<\/p>\n Metro\u2019s Lifestyle Editor, Rachel Moss, tried Japanese Interval Walking on her lunchbreak. Here\u2019s how she got on:<\/p>\n \u2018Call me old before my time, but I\u2019m obsessively into walking. I put up with a 90-minute commute into London<\/a> for easy access to the Chilterns at weekends, I holiday in the Lake District<\/a>, and I\u2019m currently nerding out with Kerri Andrews\u2019s book, Wanderers: A History of Women Walking.\u00a0<\/p>\n \u2018But Japanese Interval Walking? Never again.<\/p>\n \u2018It\u2019s somehow the worst of both worlds. Not quite the calm joy of a walk, not nearly the endorphin-pumping release of a run. Instead, it feels like I\u2019m perpetually late for a train I never catch.\u00a0<\/p>\n \t\t \u2018Just as I start to enjoy the slow pace and notice my surroundings or, I don\u2019t know, breathe, my phone buzzes and its sprint-ish mode again. <\/p>\n \u2018Speaking of phones, you\u2019re glued to it the whole time. Never mind being good for your blood pressure, interval walking is so annoying, I can feel mine rising through sheer frustration.\u00a0<\/p>\n \u2018The one benefit, I suppose, is that I\u2019ve squeezed some exercise into a day that I wouldn\u2019t have done otherwise. But the hyper-scheduled trend destroys everything I love about walking \u2013 the mindfulness, the freedom, the quietly revolutionary rhythm \u2013 so for me, it\u2019s a no.\u2019<\/p>\n This article was originally published on May 25, 2025.<\/p>\n Do you have a story to share?<\/p>\n Get in touch by emailing MetroLifestyleTeam@Metro.co.uk<\/a>.<\/p>\n Arrow Arrow Arrow![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/SEI_252783912-e61c.jpg\")
\n\t\tMetro\u2019s Lifestyle Editor Rachel Moss tried the trend (Picture: Rachel Moss)<\/p>\n
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