Is it true that the speed of walking must be the one that allows you to talk to the person you walk with?
Guadalupe
– Eldiario.es reader
How many steps have you walked today? Walking is one of the most accessible and beneficial forms of physical activity, recommended by many doctors and public health specialists. If you have an smart watch or an activity bracelet, they are surely measuring the steps you walk a day, and they may even give you virtual awards if you exceed the famous figure of 10,000 steps.
However, not all walks are the same: the speed at which we walk directly influences the benefits we get from this activity. First of all, it should be made clear that walking at any speed is always better than sitting in an armchair, and even a little physical activity already has health benefits.
But we must bear in mind that exercise has effects that scientists call “dose -dependent.” That is, within a certain range, the more we do, the better the effects for our state and our health will be, and this applies to both the number of steps and speed.
The benefits of walking for health
Walking has many benefits for physical and mental health. According to the World Health Organization (WHO), perform at least 150 minutes of moderate physical activity A week, such as walking, reduces the risk of cardiovascular diseases, type 2 diabetes and certain types of cancer. In addition, various studies have proven to walk Improve cognitive functionreduce stress, anxiety, and The symptoms of depression.
Perform at least 150 minutes of moderate physical activity a week, such as walking, reduces the risk of cardiovascular diseases, type 2 diabetes and certain types of cancer
This is summarized to another important extent: walking extends life. After analyzing 15 studies in different populations, a Study review He found that, the more steps they walked per day, the lower the risk of mortality due to any cause, with an upper limit of about 6,000-8,000 steps per day, since there were no significant differences. Walking is also one of the factors who have in common centenarians of the publicized “blue areas”, and that everything indicates that it is much more decisive than the diet in its longevity.
Walk or march? The differences between walking at different speeds
Not all walks have the same impact on health. In the same way that intense exercises are more beneficial for health in general, longevity and state of form, walking faster is better than walking slowly. The speed influences the intensity of the exercise and, therefore, the results obtained. We can classify the speeds when walking in three categories:
- Slow step (less than 3 km/h): a relaxed rhythm, typical of a casual walk. Although beneficial for mobility and relaxation, it does not generate a significant cardiovascular stimulus.
- Moderate step (3-5 km/h): The speed that allows you to maintain a conversation without difficulty. This rhythm is ideal for general health and is sustainable for long periods.
- Quick step (more than 5 km/h): a rhythm that makes it difficult to maintain a fluid conversation, and only allows us to say short phrases. This level of intensity significantly improves physical condition and caloric spending.
The Walking speed is a measure of the physical capacity of any person, especially the elderly. The speed walking to what extent a person is dependent, he is at risk of falls, he is able to do homework or can cross a street safely.
But walking faster also helps those same people to maintain their state of form and health. When we walk at a pace that allows us to speak comfortably (generally between 3 and 5 km/h), we are doing a physical activity of moderate intensity. This level of effort is recommended by WHO to obtain cardiovascular benefits without overloading the body.
The speed walking to what extent a person is dependent, is at risk of falls, is able to do homework or can cross a street safely
The moderate rhythm when walking, for example, is sufficient to reduce the mortality of people who have cardiovascular diseases, such as could check a study in which patients were followed for 23 years. The same conclusions are extracted from a review that combines the data of more than 120,000 people: the faster the speed is, the lower the mortality.
These results are obtained with the moderate rhythm, but what happens when we increase the step, to the point that we can only answer with short phrases?
The benefits of walking faster
When we increase the speed to a point where we can only talk to short phrases (more than 5 km/h), we enter an area of vigorous intensity. This level of effort has additional benefits. The most immediate is a higher caloric expense, since walking quickly burns more calories than doing it at a moderate rhythm. For example, with This calculator We can see that, for a 70 kilos person, walking one hour at 2 km/h consumes 186 kcal, while doing it at 6 km/h can double consumption until 348 kcal.
A measure of the influence of this rhythm of walking is in our personal sensations: it has to be a faster rhythm that is comfortable to us. In a study the results of walk to individual preference rhythm of each person with those obtained when asked to walk faster or more slow. When they walked slower, the steps were less stable and it was not possible to burn enough calories. However, when they exceeded the rhythm at which they were comfortable, calorie burning, especially muscle glycogen.
Above this speed there are also important changes. For example, a Study in Japan He found that walking at 7 km/h was less efficient for the body to run at that same speed, and this is a good thing, since the effort and caloric expenditure increases, as well as the adaptation of the muscles and bones. In other words, walking fast can make us stronger.
How music can help us synchronize the step
Music has a powerful effect on motivation and rhythm when walking. There are studies that have proven that listening to music with a specific tempo can help synchronize movements and Increase performancesince it would reduce the perception of effort.
If we use the music to mark the rhythm while we walk we can make a scale with known songs according to its tempo measured in BPM (pulsations per minute), taking into account that it is approximate and there may be variations according to the length of the step:
- 60 BPM: My girl (Otis Redding): equivalent to walking at a moderate pace of about 3 km/h, but it is not enough to improve our shape.
- 104 BPM: Staying Alive (Bee Gees), with this classic discotequero we can walk at a rate equivalent to about 5 km/h, which will barely allow us to maintain a conversation.
- 128 BPM: I GOTTA FEELING (Black Eyed Peas), a more moved theme that will put us in about 6-7 km/h, that is, a vigorous rhythm that will improve our physical capacity.
Bringing the music set can be a great motivation, especially if we walk outdoors or near natural or water places, which can have additional benefits.
*Darío Pescador is editor and director of the magazine Quo and author of the book Your best me Posted by Oberon.
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