Did you know that just 30 minutes of walking per day, five days per week, could have a significant impact on your physical health and increase your overall activity and step count?
A study into the effectiveness of long and short bout walking, published in the Journal of Women’s Health, found that overall physical activity increased in a group of women prescribed the long bout walks, plus some other surprising benefits also emerged for both.
And we’re not talking about hours of walking either. Achievable and relatively short distances and lengths of time were used during the study, and the results were very interesting.
Here’s everything you need to know.
What is the study?
The study mentioned above looked at long and short bouts of walking and physical activity in women, though the prescription of walking for physical and mental health is universal.
Current exercise guidelines suggest a minimum of 150 minutes of moderate aerobic activity per week, which can be accumulated however you like, such as 10-minute bouts of activity performed throughout the day (known now as exercise snacking) or 30-minute walks on five days per week, as examples.
The study consisted of an 8-week randomized controlled trial on 60 inactive women. Each woman was assigned to either a control group or 30 minutes of walking five days a week (in one long bout) or three short bouts of 10-minute walks per day, all at a prescribed heart rate intensity.
Researchers assessed walking using a pedometer and a self-reported walking log, and measured steps per day, systolic and diastolic blood pressure, resting heart rate, six-minute walking tests, distance, height, weight, BMI and hip and waist circumference.
Results showed that people respond differently to each recommendation, even when volume and intensity are equal.
Those who were prescribed the long bout sessions increased their overall physical activity level and step count more than the short bout group, and showed significant decreases in hip circumference while increasing their six-minute walking test distance compared to the control group.
The short bout walkers experienced significant changes in their diastolic blood pressure compared to the control group, and both groups significantly improved steps per day.
Despite equal volume and intensity control across groups, the long bout walkers completed more walking and followed their heart rate recommendations more accurately than the short bout walkers.
That said, both were beneficial for overall health, with 67% of long bouters and 47% of short bouters increasing activity levels to meet recommendations. The study concluded that the long bouters may see the biggest increase in physical activity and health benefits.
How do I encourage myself to walk more?
Although the study was conducted on women, the benefits of walking for physical health are universal for men and women, and there are ways everybody can include more activity during the day.
Don’t think about increasing walking as exercise or a chore. Non-Exercise Activity Thermogenesis (NEAT) can help you burn more calories and expend more energy, and simply means doing activities outside of eating, sleeping and exercising that involve moving around.
Think taking calls while standing, using one of the best under-desk treadmills while you work, gardening, playing with your pets or kids, or even cooking and cleaning. And these daily activities can be performed by anyone, any time throughout the week.
The more activity you can fit into your day, the more steps you can take and energy you can burn, helping you manage your weight and physical activity levels.
If you find walking boring, we’ve included some interesting studies and walking workouts below that might change your mind.
But if you can walk for 30 minutes at a time, at any point in the day and week, you could see some physical benefits.
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