Walk Faster Or Farther? Which Is Best?

Walk Faster Or Farther? Which Is Best?

Walking is a popular—if not the most popular—form of exercise. In fact, the American Heart Association (AHA) says that for most people, walking is a safe, easy-to-stick-to, low- or no-cost exercise that does not require any special skills or equipment.

Dr. Johanna Contreras, a cardiologist at Mount Sinai Fuster Heart Hospital, told Women’s Health that walking activates the vascular system, enhances circulation, improves the use of blood sugar, and helps manage inflammation. This low-impact activity benefits both the brain and the body.

Although walking offers a variety of benefits, the question remains whether you can maximize those benefits by walking longer distances or walking at a faster pace.

Dr. Contreras recommends focusing on both distance and speed because “all walking is important.” Whether you take an extra lap in the grocery store or take the stairs, you’re making a difference, she said.

Before starting your walk, remember that aiming for a minimum speed is essential for an effective workout. This speed will vary for each individual, but you’ll know you’re moving fast enough if your heart rate starts to increase, even slightly.

Target and maximum heart rates vary by age, according to the American Heart Association (AHA), which publishes an age-related heart rate chart on its website. When you find your target, the AHA recommends monitoring your heart rate to make sure you’re in the zone. When starting out, the AHA recommends aiming for the lower range of your target zone and gradually building up over time. If your heart rate is too high, the AHA says you’re straining and should slow down.

If you’re trying to decide whether to slow your walking pace or speed it up, here’s what you should know about the benefits of each one:

1. Walking longer distances can boost your endurance.

The greatest benefit of walking long distances is that it improves your endurance, or your ability to sustain exercise without putting stress on your heart. This happens because you become accustomed to having your heart rate elevated for a prolonged period of time.

If you can’t walk fast or run, Dr. Contreras says walking a longer distance will eventually provide the same benefits that you get out of walking faster or running in a shorter amount of time. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, one minute of high-intensity activity by picking up your speed generally equals about two minutes of moderate-intensity activity.

Dr. Contreras notes that walking longer distances may be best as you age because you don’t need to elevate your heart rate as much to achieve the same benefit, and you want to avoid putting too much strain on your heart. Also, if your goal is to walk farther, you should aim to have worked up a sweat by the end of your walk, Dr. Contreras said.

2. Walking faster conditions your heart.

Walking at a faster pace raises the demand on your heart, resulting in a higher heart rate compared to walking slowly.

“Walking faster definitely helps stimulate more of a cardiovascular response,” Dr. Lauren Hannon Redler, an orthopedic surgeon and sports medicine physician at NewYork-Presbyterian/Columbia University Irving Medical Center, told Women’s Health. “Your heart pumps blood around your body more quickly, which helps your muscles improve how they use oxygen and makes them more efficient.”

Raising your heart rate leads to a more effective heart workout. According to Dr. Contreras, this will help boost your exercise capacity, demand more of your metabolism, and regulate your blood pressure. Since walking faster is more demanding, you can get the same benefit as you would walking at a slower pace for a longer period, possibly even reducing the required time in half.

Which is better for weight loss?

Experts differ on whether walking longer distances or at a faster pace is more effective for weight loss. Dr. Redler prefers walking slower but farther because it keeps the heart in Zone 2 cardio, a level of heart rate training that maintains between 60 to 70 percent of your maximum heart rate.

When you’re in zone 2, your body primarily uses fat for fuel, but this does not mean you are losing fat from your body, Rachelle Reed, an exercise scientist in Athens, Georgia, told Women’s Health. A 2023 study in the journal Nutrients found that walking at a slower speed for a longer period of time (about three miles per hour for an hour) led to greater total fat loss in postmenopausal women.

On the other hand, Dr. Contreras believes that walking faster places more demands on your metabolism and burns more calories because it’s a harder workout.

“If people want to lose weight, they need to think about increasing that exercise level,” Dr. Contreras said.

According to Reed, concentrating on burning calories rather than relying on fat or glucose as energy sources is likely more important for attaining a weight loss goal. Additionally, even if you’re walking faster, you’re probably still in zone 2 anyway.

Losing weight is challenging and involves much more than simply exercising. According to the National Institutes of Health, genetics, nutrition, and environment are all factors that influence weight loss.

Establish a walking routine that is best for you

Remember that walking slowly for longer periods can eventually equal walking faster for shorter amounts of time. So, what is “better” between the two options may simply be what feels right for you, especially since exercising consistently is key to gaining health and weight loss benefits, Reed said.

If you want to increase your speed, the experts suggest walking in intervals. For instance, walk at a slower pace for three minutes, then increase the pace for one minute, and then alternate between the two until you complete your walk. Eventually, you can reduce the time you spend walking at slower intervals and increase the time you spend on faster-paced walking.

To be honest, most people don’t have time to walk a long distance as well as at a faster walking speed. And experts say you don’t have to. “Both matter,” Dr. Redler said.

The experts suggest incorporating both types of walking workouts—long and slower or short and faster—based on what best fits your lifestyle at any time or on a particular day.

Source Links:

https://www.womenshealthmag.com/fitness/a62920567/should-you-walk-faster-or-farther/
https://www.heart.org/en/healthy-living/fitness/walking/why-is-walking-the-most-popular-form-of-exercise
https://www.heart.org/en/healthy-living/fitness/fitness-basics/target-heart-rates

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