{"id":238024,"date":"2025-10-20T07:09:06","date_gmt":"2025-10-20T07:09:06","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/238024\/"},"modified":"2025-10-20T07:09:06","modified_gmt":"2025-10-20T07:09:06","slug":"japanese-interval-walking-is-an-easy-way-to-become-fit-experts-say-health-watch","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/238024\/","title":{"rendered":"\u2018Japanese\u2019 interval walking is an easy way to become fit, experts say | Health Watch"},"content":{"rendered":"

(CNN) \u2014 One of the latest fitness fads trending on social media is \u201cJapanese walking,\u201d a 30-minute exercise regimen in which you alternate walking at a normal pace with bursts of speed<\/a>. It\u2019s easy to see the appeal.<\/p>\n

Japanese walking is a relatively short, accessible workout that doesn\u2019t require a gym membership or special equipment. All you have to do is walk out the door.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhat I like about Japanese walking is that anyone can do it,\u201d said Dr. Irvin Sulapas, a sports medicine physician and associate professor at UTHealth Houston. \u201cYou don\u2019t need to do super high-intensity workouts, where you\u2019re sore and tired, to gain improvements to your health.\u201d<\/p>\n

Japanese researchers developed this exercise regimen \u2014 hence the moniker Japanese walking \u2014 more than 20 years ago. The goal was to increase physical fitness among middle-aged and older adults, plus help this group prevent lifestyle-related diseases<\/a> such as diabetes and obesity.<\/p>\n

High-intensity interval walking may protect older people from higher blood pressure, the researchers found. The activity may also help combat decreased thigh muscle strength and diminished peak aerobic capacity, according to the July 2007 study<\/a>.<\/p>\n

This same research team found in a related 2009 review<\/a> that five months of interval walking training increased participants\u2019 physical fitness and improved their indices of lifestyle-related diseases by an average of 10% to 20%.<\/p>\n

More recently, older adults who practiced Japanese walking for five months showed improvements in resting blood pressure, lower-limb muscle strength and VO2 max<\/a>, a key indicator of cardiovascular fitness and aerobic endurance, according to a 2025 study<\/a> by a different group of scientists. This latest research may have sparked Japanese walking\u2019s current popularity.<\/p>\n

High-intensity interval walking \u2014 and other forms of exercise \u2014 are definitely good for your heart health and well-being, said Dr. Sergiu Darabant, a medical cardiologist at Miami Cardiac & Vascular Institute, part of Baptist Health South Florida.<\/p>\n

\u201cBut Japanese walking is intriguing to many because it offers an entry to exercise from a sedentary lifestyle,\u201d Darabant said. \u201cIt\u2019s not intimidating.\u201d<\/p>\n

How to get started<\/p>\n

In the 2007 study, researchers instructed participants to alternate three minutes of fast walking at 70% peak aerobic capacity \u2014 a moderate- to high-intensity pace \u2014 with three minutes of slower walking at 40% peak aerobic capacity, a low-intensity exercise level, for at least 30 minutes on four days per week.<\/p>\n

That\u2019s generally the same advice experts give today, although Darabant suggested upping the walk to five days per week. If you do so, you\u2019ll be getting 150 minutes of moderate-intensity exercise every week, the exact recommendation for aerobic activity from the American Heart Association<\/a>.<\/p>\n

How do you know if you\u2019re walking fast enough during your speedy minutes? Walk as fast as you can without breaking into a jog, Darabant said.<\/p>\n

\u201cGenerally, a brisk walk is considered around 4 miles per hour, although everyone\u2019s different,\u201d Sulapas said. Four miles per hour equates to a 15-minute-per-mile pace.<\/p>\n

As with any exercise, safety is key. Before rushing outside to try Japanese walking, consult your doctor, and stop immediately if you experience pain. Keep in mind you can also practice Japanese walking indoors on a treadmill, especially if your streets aren\u2019t well-paved, it\u2019s icy out, or you don\u2019t have a safe place to walk.<\/p>\n

\u201cIf you\u2019re using a treadmill, set the incline at 1% to 2%,\u201d Sulapas said, as this incline best mimics the resistance the average person gets from walking outside.<\/p>\n

But if you do have the option of performing this workout alfresco, especially in a natural setting, that\u2019s the best option, Darabant said.<\/p>\n

\u201cEngaging with the outdoors is 100% better,\u201d he said. \u201cIt not only helps your overall physique, but it helps engage your mind, reduces anxiety<\/a> and connects you with nature.\u201d<\/p>\n

Transitioning to other forms of exercise<\/p>\n

Once you\u2019re a pro at Japanese walking, you may want to consider advancing to jogging or walking with a weighted vest.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe more intense the level, the better outcomes you\u2019ll see,\u201d Darabant said.<\/p>\n

Yet in the end, committing to your exercise regimen is most important.<\/p>\n

\u201cI don\u2019t mean this as a pun, but exercise is a marathon, not a sprint,\u201d Darabant said. \u201cWe should all aim for consistency and a clear lifestyle change. Embarking on an exercise journey should be done gradually.\u201d<\/p>\n

Sulapas agreed. \u201cInterval walking is a great start to someone\u2019s fitness journey,\u201d he said. \u201cAs you become more fit, you can always up the intensity. But there are definitely health benefits, even if you stick with interval walking.\u201d<\/p>\n

Which, incidentally, both physicians practice. Sulapas employs Japanese walking toward the end of the half-marathons he runs. \u201cBy then,\u201d he said, \u201cI\u2019m kind of hurting!\u201d<\/p>\n

Darabant turns to Japanese walking whenever he\u2019s short on time and energy. \u201cIt\u2019s always my go-to backup,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

The-CNN-Wire<\/p>\n

\u2122 & \u00a9 2025 Cable News Network, Inc., a Warner Bros. Discovery Company. All rights reserved.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"(CNN) \u2014 One of the latest fitness fads trending on social media is \u201cJapanese walking,\u201d a 30-minute exercise…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":238025,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[62],"tags":[337,97,86919,3,452],"class_list":{"0":"post-238024","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-fitness","8":"tag-fitness","9":"tag-health","10":"tag-health-watch","11":"tag-news","12":"tag-top-stories"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/238024","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=238024"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/238024\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/238025"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=238024"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=238024"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=238024"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}