There are times in your life when a 15-minute walk is the most you can spend on exercise and that’s okay. Perhaps your job is now 9-9 rather than 9-5, or the babysitter may be taking up your free time. Anyway, we asked a cardiologist to answer the age-old question: is walking well enough for exercise? The first thing you need to know is that the simple answer is yes.

Aerobic activity:

The Physical Guidelines for Americans, published by the Department of Health and Human Services, states that adults should engage in 150 to 300 minutes of moderate aerobic activity per week or 75 to 150 minutes of vigorous aerobic activity per week, preferably spread over several days.

Moderate activity:

If you spread 150 minutes of moderate activity a day over seven days, that’s about 21 minutes a day. If you run at about 3 miles per hour (or a little slower), it will take you about that much to run a mile.

Physical activity:

However, walking at this pace while maintaining physical activity may not mean moderate intensity. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, brisk walking is moderately intense. For many people, that would mean walking faster than 5 km/h. You should be fast enough to get your heart rate up and a sweat, as defined by the CDC.

Moderate aerobic activity:

If you increase your pace to 3.5 miles per hour, walking at that speed might be a moderate aerobic activity, but it would also mean you would complete a 1-mile workout in 17 minutes. To hit the 150-minute minimum, you would need to put in more than 17 minutes a day. Instead of walking a mile a day, a better option would be to run 2 or 3 miles a day.

Health benefits:

There is evidence that walking 7,000 or more steps a day has significant health benefits. The study found that people who walked at least 7,000 steps a day had a 50-70% lower risk of premature death than those who walked fewer than 7,000 steps.

In general, you want to get your heart rate up for at least 10 minutes. When you exercise continuously, beneficial biochemical changes occur in the body. If you’re looking for general cardiovascular health, you’d better move on.

Physical activity and exercise improve overall health. There is evidence of cardiovascular benefits, diabetes, and weight control benefits, high blood pressure, and neurological function in people at risk of cognitive decline, such as those with disabilities. B. very old people. It is also used to prevent cancer.

Less intense exercise must be done over a longer period to get the same benefits as higher-intensity exercise. If you move the same amount — instead of, say, walking 20 minutes three times a week, walking for an hour five times a week — you’ll walk about the same distance. You’ll likely get the same benefits for your cardiovascular system.

Fitness:

Taking a 30-minute walk at a moderate pace can be a vigorous effort to get your heart rate up and challenge your body to improve your overall fitness. Adding more intense activity to your routine can help improve balance, coordination, brain function, energy levels, sleep, and aid in weight management.

Increases walking resistance when cycling or walking on water. You can increase arm swing, which increases the overall intensity of the exercise. Using sticks also helps. You need to keep your body straight and use your hands more often.

In addition, according to American physical guidelines, you should also incorporate muscle-strengthening exercises into your weekly routine. While aerobic exercise is good for the heart and lungs, consider engaging in moderate-to-intensity resistance training twice a week, targeting all major muscle groups to build or maintain strength.