When it comes to health benefits, your daily stroll delivers. Research consistently shows that walking slashes your risk of chronic illness, improves physical fitness, supports sleep, and helps you feel better mentally.\n<\/p>\n
So if you\u2019re already walking (or thinking about getting started), why not make the most of those steps? We asked six fitness experts for their top tips to take your walks to the next level. Here\u2019s what they recommend.\n<\/p>\n
If your goal is to amplify the cardiovascular and calorie-burning benefits of your walk, consider upping your speed\u2014even if you\u2019re not increasing your distance, Jeff Cherubini, PhD<\/a>, a professor of kinesiology specializing in exercise and sport psychology at Manhattan University, told Health in an email.\n<\/p>\n \u201cWhen you pick up your pace, you get the benefits of walking in a shorter amount of time,\u201d said walking coach Michele Stanten<\/a>, ACE-certified fitness instructor and author of Walk Your Way to Better Health. Experts recommend at least 150 minutes of moderate-intensity exercise per week, but with vigorous intensity, that minimum drops to 75 minutes.\n<\/p>\n To help you get there, Stanten recommends interval walking<\/a>\u2014alternating between brisk and normal paces. There are many different methods, but here\u2019s her beginner-friendly routine, suggested three times per week:\n<\/p>\n Warm up: Start at a leisurely pace for five to 10 minutes.\u00a0Normal pace: By the end of your warm-up, you should have worked up to your typical pace. Maintain that pace for two to three minutes. You should be able to carry on a conversation at this intensity, Stanten said.Faster pace: Speed up for 30 seconds with shorter, quicker steps. You should still be able to talk, but your breathing will be heavier and heart rate elevated, Stanten said.Repeat: Return to your normal pace for one to two minutes (or longer if needed), then alternate again with a faster pace for 30 seconds. Continue the pattern for 10 to 15 minutes. Try to work up to more intervals as you build endurance and walk longer distances, Stanten said.Cool down: Finish at a leisurely pace for five minutes.<\/p>\n Amanda Katz<\/a>, a NASM-certified personal trainer and running coach in New York City, recommends exploring hillier terrain outdoors or increasing your treadmill\u2019s incline<\/a>.\n<\/p>\n \u201cBecause you need to stay upright and balanced, walking uphill requires more core activation and makes your heart and lungs work harder,\u201d Katz told Health in an email. \u201cWhile it\u2019s not strength training, it gives your posterior chain\u2014including your glutes, hamstrings, and calves\u2014more of a challenge than flat terrain.\u201d\n<\/p>\n Walking downhill has its perks, too. \u201cYour quads are working to control movement in descent, or \u2018braking,\u2019\u201d Katz said.\u00a0\n<\/p>\n To start, choose a walking route that incorporates hills twice a week. Katz recommends beginning with slight declines. Over time, walking on uneven surfaces can improve your balance, which helps build confidence on steeper ground.\n<\/p>\n If you\u2019re staying indoors, bump your treadmill\u2019s incline by just 0.5 to 1% and gradually increase it as you build endurance<\/a>. Avoid holding the handlebars\u2014and take shorter strides. \u201cEven if you only have 15 minutes, it\u2019s worth doing,\u201d Katz said.\n<\/p>\n \u201cWearing a weighted vest is a great way to turn a basic walk into something that feels athletic and exciting,\u201d Or Artzi, CPT<\/a>, Equinox group fitness instructor and founder of the Orriors App, told Health in an email. \u201cWhen movement feels exciting, we stick with it.\u201d\n<\/p>\n Artzi said the added weight offers a bunch of potential benefits: It may work your heart harder, support weight loss, and engage muscles in ways a typical stroll wouldn\u2019t.\n<\/p>\n \u201cThe extra load forces your body to stabilize throughout your walk\u2014especially on inclines or uneven terrain\u2014which means more work for your core, glutes, quads, hamstrings, and calves,\u201d Artzi said. The muscles along your spine and upper back also stay engaged, which can keep your posture in check.\n<\/p>\n She recommends choosing a vest that\u2019s about 5 to 10% of your body weight. (So if you\u2019re 150 pounds, aim for a 8- to 10-pound vest.) Ideally, the weight should be evenly distributed between the front and back and fit snugly, sitting high on your torso.\u00a0\n<\/p>\n Start with 10- to 15-minute walks while wearing the vest. At the same time, make other aspects of your walk more challenging, like the duration, incline, or pace. But \u201conly increase one factor at a time,\u201d Artzi said. \u201cIf you can do that without pain or joint discomfort, you\u2019re probably ready to gradually add more weight.\u201d\n<\/p>\n Keep in mind the vest is a training tool, so you shouldn\u2019t wear it for every walk, Artzi said. Rotate in vest-free walks to give your body time to recover.\n<\/p>\n Instead of focusing on how long you walk, try taking more frequent walks throughout the day.\u00a0\u201cYour body needs regular movement,\u201d Keith Diaz, PhD<\/a>, exercise physiologist and director of the Exercise Testing Laboratory at the Center for Behavioral Cardiovascular Health at Columbia University, told Health. \u201cEven a light, casual stroll has health benefits.\u201d\n<\/p>\n In a 2023 study led by Diaz, researchers assigned different walking schedules to 11 adults: one minute of walking after every 30 minutes of sitting, one minute after 60 minutes, five minutes every 30, five minutes every 60, or no walking.\n<\/p>\n Participants sat in an ergonomic chair for eight hours in a lab, where they worked on a laptop, read, used their phones, and ate standardized meals. Throughout the day, researchers measured their blood sugar, blood pressure<\/a>, mood, and fatigue.\n<\/p>\n The optimal burst of movement? \u201cInterrupt your sitting every half-hour or so with a five-minute walk,\u201d Diaz said. Even a slower stroll\u2014just 2 mph\u2014can improve all of the health markers above, the study found.\n<\/p>\n However, when the researchers asked people what they liked most about the walking breaks, \u201cthe biggest thing they kept telling us was, \u2018I\u2019m not in a brain fog. I have energy at the end of the day,\u2019\u201d Diaz said. \u201cWe have long underestimated the mental health benefits of walking. It is such a mood booster, particularly when we\u2019re glued to our screens.\u201d\n<\/p>\n It\u2019s easy to get caught up in the technical details of a walk and forget to ask yourself what would actually make you feel good. \u201cMake your walk fit your needs,\u201d Nicole Haas, PT, DPT<\/a>, founder of Boulder Physiolab in Boulder, Colorado, told Health. \u201cThat might be different each day of the week. It doesn\u2019t need to be set in stone.\u201d\n<\/p>\n Ask yourself: What\u2019s my intention for this walk? Maybe you\u2019ve been consistently walking around a track but are itching to get out in nature. Or perhaps you\u2019re looking for some social time after working from home alone all day. If you always listen to a podcast but feel mentally drained, a \u201csilent walk<\/a>\u201d might be more restorative.\n<\/p>\n Not only does this practice help make movement something to look forward to (and, therefore, something you\u2019re more likely to do), but it also encourages you to switch things up in a way that honors what you need mentally as much as physically, Haas said.\u00a0\n<\/p>\n Cherubini echoes this sentiment. He suggests focusing on how good you feel during and after your walk, and why\u2014whether it\u2019s because you\u2019re chatting with a friend, enjoying a new green space, or riding a wave of endorphins<\/a>. \u201cIt may take days to weeks to see the slightest change on the scale,\u201d he said. \u201cBut it may take only one walk, at any intensity or distance, to feel physically and emotionally better.\u201d<\/p>\n