Walkingis a go-to form of exercise that offers several health benefits. According to theNational Institutes of Health, walking can reduce your risk of heart disease, diabetes andhigh blood pressure, strengthen your bones and muscles, support weight management and boost your mood. Plus, walking is low-impact, which is especially helpful for those who tend to have sore joints, requires no fancy equipment and can be adapted to whatever feels best for your body. But you may be surprised to learn various forms of walking can benefit your health in different ways. One such form is interval walking—a form of high-intensity interval training where you alternate between moderately paced periods of walking and more intense intervals.
In this article, we’ll explore the benefits to your body when you embrace this dynamic approach to walking. Be sure to check in with your primary care provider before starting any new exercise program.
What Happens to Your Body When You Walk 10,000 Steps per Day
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What Happens to Your Body When You Do Interval Walking
You May Boost Your Cardiovascular Fitness
You May Burn More Calories
Alternating between a casual stride and periods of greater intensity ramps up your metabolism to maximize calorie expenditure—and it increases the distance you cover. “By adding higher-intensity intervals, you will burn more calories than when you walk at a slower, steady pace for the same length of time,” MacPherson explains. “Increasing calorie burn will help you achieve and maintain a healthy weight balance,” she says.
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You May Improve Your Endurance and Stamina
Once you push yourself with a more intense interval, you can slow down to a more comfortable pace. And that “break” is something that makes interval training feel doable and like something you can stick with.
“Compared to walking at a steady, consistent pace, adding intervals with rest can help you work at your own pace while still challenging you so that you can increase your fitness level,” says MacPherson. “Forcing your body to adapt to higher intensities will help you build stamina, endurance and lung capacity. Building endurance and stamina will mean you can walk longer at higher intensities or even help you form a base to begin running, enabling you to train longer, harder and more efficiently,” she says.
You May Have Better Blood Sugar Control
Your muscles take up glucose for energy during physical activity, which brings down your blood sugar. And walking is one of the best ways to do that, as it’s been shown to improve glucose control in people who have diabetes, according to a 2020 meta-analysis inNutrition, Metabolism and Cardiovascular Diseases. Those who were younger and more physically fit were encouraged to try interval walking for even better blood-sugar-management benefits.
Interval walking can help prevent the development of type 2 diabetes, too. “Studies suggest that interval walking can help improve insulin sensitivity and better regulate blood sugar levels to stave off diabetes and help you have more even energy levels throughout the day. Walking right after meals makes this effect even more powerful,” MacPherson says.
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You May Improve Your Sleep Quality
Regular physical activity has been linked to improved sleep. According to a 2023 systematic review published inCureus, research suggests that increasing your daily steps may reduce stress and daytime drowsiness while enhancing sleep, while interval exercise was also found to improve zzz’s.
You May Reduce Your Blood Pressure
How to Do Interval Walking
The premise of interval walking is simple in that as you walk, you alternate between rest periods and periods of higher intensity walking. What’s great about this type of workout is that you can do it in a number of ways and tailor it to what feels best for your body on any given day.
You could use a watch to keep track of rest periods and how long you increase your walking speed and intensity. If you listen to music as you walk, you could increase your intensity during a song’s catchy chorus. Or you could use landmarks to guide your intervals, speeding up in between telephone poles, mailboxes or city blocks.
Here’s a sample interval walking plan to get you started. And as with any exercise, be sure tohydrate and fuel up with a healthy meal or snackahead of time.
1. Start with a warm up
2. Increase your intensity for a short duration
3. Slow back down to your moderate walking pace
Return to your moderate walking pace to slow your heart rate and catch your breath. Stay at this speed for however long you’d like, be it a few minutes or more. These rest periods should be longer in duration then your speed interval.
4. Repeat the process
Repeat the process of speeding up for a short spurt, then slowing back down to a moderate walking pace for a longer rest period. You can choose to do this interval walking for the full duration of your walk or only part of it. It’s up to you to decide what feels best!
The Bottom Line
Interval walking provides several health benefits, including improving cardiovascular fitness, endurance, sleep quality and metabolism. It can also improve blood sugar control and lower high blood pressure. Plus, interval walking is a physical activity that doesn’t requires fancy equipment to get started. If you want to improve your fitness and overall health, try interval walking.
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