I'd like to preface the following.
I have been seemingly promoting a stepping scooter called a Me-Mover because prior to riding the machine I have had difficulty walking due to a problem with my right hip which affected my ability to walk a limited distance. After about 2 weeks of riding, my hip pain diminished, then disappeared.
My point is I continued to try and improve my physical condition, I did not accept my discomfort as an inevitable age-related problem.
It's possible other methods may have also given me relief of my hip pain.
I leave the results open to interpretation, but the proof lies in the fact of never accepting pain or discomfort even if it takes doing something completely different from lifelong habits,
9
Back in day - back in the no technology day - walking was also good. Walk fast, walk slow - don't be obsessed with numbers - it'll be better for you. METRICS = DEATH :-)
2
What is a good device to wear that measures cadence, steps per minute?
@webster I use an app called pacer on my smart phone
What a dauntingly silly and discouraging question in the article: "Who wants to sing when they walk?" Apart from the grammatical error, it ignores or belittles all those who, like me, *love* to sing while they walk, with or without accompanying music. I sing hymns to warm up for choir on the way to church; Christmas carols and songs in the snow; songs about rain when I'm under my umbrella, and everything from Emmylou Harris and Dolly Parton to Gilbert & Sullivan and French folk songs all the rest of the time. And mantras in Sanskrit from Deva Premal when I need calming. Walking and singing improve stamina, lift my spirits, and keep my vocal cords supple. And no one can judge my performance! Who *doesn't* want to sing when walking?
7
Brisk walking equals 2.7 mph? That's slower than my most casual walk!
If I want to hit 100 steps per minute, why don't I just shorten my steps?
And what about tall people? When they walk a mile at any speed, they take fewer steps than short people.
7
These attempts to come up with a one size fits all measure of intensity seem pretty silly. People vary so much in size and biomechanics they may have vastly different steps per minute for the same effort. And while these guidelines may be reasonable for sedentary or minimally fit people they make no sense for fitter athletes. For instance, I am a cyclist and work pretty hard at that and there is simply NO WAY I can get my heart rate up to 70% by just walking.... unless it is up a 10% more grade. So forget all these vague generalities. These days with all manner of fitness trackers it really isn't hard to get an accurate measure of heart rate to guide one's exercise.
5
Yes, the study seeks to find the bare minimum required exercise for disease control. It wouldn't apply to people who are regularly athletic. But I do think it's much easier to count steps than to count heartbeats.
2
As I walk faster I can hear (or feel) my knee cartilage moving, I feel concern about this, am I right to be worried?
1
My iWatch tells me I get a much better workout while I garden, versus walking, even briskly. Makes sense—gardening uses more muscles and requires lots of repetition involving large muscles, e.g., squats.
1
I get more tired doing housework, or various projects around the house, than walking! I do a lot of walking, so it's just like breathing. Housework involves much more bending, stretching, stooping, twisting, sometimes climbing a ladder, etc. Much like gardening I suppose.
Simple solution? Buy a pulse/ox (the small gadget that is placed on your index findger in the MD's office) for $20 . in less than 30 seconds it will tell you both your pulse and oxygenation rates.
2
as a kid, my dad pointed President Truman at 57th Street in N Y. My dad loved him. "look at how he walks, even as an old man. he is a great walker."
My dad and I worked at walking fast like his hero, and he lived to be 92.
After smoking for 50 years and not much regular exercise, I stopped smoking and started walking to work one and a half mile away . I listened to music and walked 120 paces a minute. I went from 90 heartbeats a minute to 60, 10 breaths to 6 a minute.
plus my balance is better.
How old fashioned ways can be so much better than the "new ways"
10
Oops you really meant a great golfer did you? Whenever I see Trump at one of his golf courses his cart is nearby or he is sitting in his cart. Not much waking involved except for his secret service escort.
1
It's a lot easier and safer to walk fast and in good posture if the surface is not filled with holes, protruding roots, and chunks of uneven concrete.
3
I agree, it is easier and probably safer on even surfaces. But one trains the sense of balance, the eye-foot coordination and one probably uses more small muscles by constantly adjusting to different surfaces.
2
I am 77 and walk in our beautiful Balboa Park seven days a week...for 30 minutes...I listen to fast beat music or classical or hip hop...whatever suits me...I don’t measure but I know when I feel better I automatically walk faster ... some days not so much but I still walk. I have had three knee transplants and double shoulder joint replacements ...surgery puts a dent in your program but you can rebuild your former stamina. I am by no means old looking or old acting or old walking...forget the studies...get out and walk for 15 minutes wherever you are and then walk back...I am often amazed at how far I walk in 15 minutes.
24
Ardy ... how many steps a minutes do you reach
When walking for exercise?
I've always been athletic but a slip on an orange peel on a wet steep sidewalk side-lined me for almost a year in 2017.
As an ancient 61 year-old I am doing interval training (brisk walk for 50 feet, run for 50 feet) for 1.5 miles. I do an additional mile where I 'march'; bring my knee up a bit for each step, sometimes lowering my body into a barely imperceptible squat - engaging major muscles and keeping my speed. Another week of this and I will be ready to join my co-workers on the basketball lunch time pick-up game.
My balance and my strength are much improved and I feel great. I am glad I grew up in a time where recess and gym were required.
6
Can we put this in mph terms? If I set a treadmill at 3.7 am I in the zone? If I walk outdoors and finish 2 miles in 30 min ( with a little mix of light running) does that work? Counting steps may seem easy enough but in this GPS/treadmill era it’s a departure from how this person, at least, thinks about his progress.
12
But why do you ask? The minimum mph is clearly stated in the article.
try this -
https://www.calculator.net/pace-calculator.html
An average person walks at 3 mph unless that person is a fleeing felon. So 3.7 to 4 mph is awesome.
1
Try walking with the same rate as the lyrics in the old Bee Gees song. Staying Alive. Both useful...and inspiring.
16
The same beat, and song, is useful and recommended for administering CPR.
8
Down under, the recommended song is "Baa baa black sheep." Sing it three times and then you do the breaths, then repeat.
1
Another suggestion for keeping in pace beyond counting — listen to music at 100-130 Beats per minute.
5
Strikes me as more scientific silliness. Isn't this going to be different for everyone? I mean, sure you can study it and come up with some averages, but who doesn't know when they're walking briskly? A person can tell if they're walking briskly or not. One person walking "briskly" may well not be walking as fast or slowly as the next person. Counting steps per minute is a good way to ruin a good time. Just go out and take a nice energetic walk for pete's sake. I don't jog anymore, but when I did, people often walked past me ... I doubt I was doing 140 steps per minute.
7
But isn't it useful to know how you stack up against the recommended avg? The way I see it, if it's easy for you to do the avg, then you're in good shape. If you can't meet the avg, then you need to work out more.
It should only be necessary to count cadence a few times to get the feel of it. I don't think one has to count every step unless they really want to. It sounds like it could be a good way to occupy the mind and relieve stress.
3
I guess so. This afternoon while walking I remembered to test it. I tried to walk perfectly normally and comfortably, and it turns out I walk about 120 steps in a minute. I don't get my heart rate up doing that, however, at least not much. It's not cardiac exercise for me unless it includes hills.
Ah ... how to destroy the beauty of walking! Instead of counting steps, just go out and walk, sans cell phones, head phones, any phones ... look up and around, savor the act of walking itself, spy on the changing seasons, listen to the birds' serenade fill the air, feel the wind on your skin, think your thoughts, be transported, walk into the universe ~ body, mind, and spirit.
57
You said it! I just do not understand, why one has to turn a supposedly enjoyable activity into just another chore to cross off on the to do list. I bet, to stop once in a while to watch some little animals will do more for your cardiovascular and mental health than walking like a machine.
1
A pace of 2.7 miles per hour equals a 22.2-minute mile (doesn't it?) and it seems so slow to me! If my math is correct, a pace of 130 steps per minute equals a 15.5-minute mile, and that seems to me to be a minimum pace for "brisk." I have to ask a question that makes me feel stupid: how are steps counted? Is it left-right-left-right-left-right (1-2-3-4-5-6) or left-right-left-right-left-right (1-x-2-x-3-x)?
4
Use a watch with a second hand. Count only your left foot every time it hits in front for 15 seconds. Then, times that by 8. That will be your per minute pace. Do it 3 times, near the beginning, middle, and end of your walk. Try not to speed up because you know you're counting. You may be surprised at how much you slow toward the end without even realizing it.
2
The problem with so much research is that it doesn’t take into account the actual individual. Who in the world is going to walk for the prescribed 30 minutes a day counting steps every minute to make sure s/he is reaching the recommended 130 ish steps a minute??! THAT’S why people in the fitness field use recommendations like “the talk test”— it’s practical, it’s something people can /will actually do, and will resonate with people
3
Brisk walking is 2.7 mph? That sounds like a leisurely stroll to me.
6
How fast does one need to walk to develop collateral coronary arteries?
4
Here's a good tip: Notice that the faster you pump your arms, the faster your feet will go. It's true!
4
You would be pushed into the street in Manhattan, walking a brisk 2.7 mph.
9
If subtracting your age from 220 and then taking 70% of that challenges your “mathematical acuity“, then you had better be exercising more than your muscles.
I would challenge your contention that “most” of us would be unable to do that bit of arithmetic but I am afraid that I would be disappointed.
7
Can you do this (in your head) when you're running uphill? That's when it would be most useful to know.
So, which is it? One-hundred or three-hundred steps per minute?
2
A steady walk is 3 miles per hour. A brisk walk is 4 miles per hour.
5
That's what I would have thought, but they're defining "brisk" at 100 steps, and "vigorous" at 120 (jogging at 140). Using those definitions a "brisk" walk is less than 3 miles per hour.
This is so silly. 2.7 mph is 22 minutes per mile. There are numerous ways to figure out your waking speed with a cell phone, all of which are easier than trying to count you steps.
5
That's how you take the pleasure away of walking: that it has to be done for a purpose and in a special way. I would guess that this obsession about doing something only if it has a purpose isn't helping.
11
Short comment. I am 87 years old and have been what my son called “a walker” my, whole life. I did walk at a good pace at one time, taking time to enjoy the view, etc. Then, as the years progressed...I slowed down because I had to. Today, my old Border Collie mix dog and I still walk daily We average a mile a day....slowly. This type article does nothing to improve anything....Walking is for pleasure and relaxation, not for prolonging life. Attitude is more important than speed.
54
“Unless you are past the age of 60,” we learn toward the end of the article. Well, thank you for letting us know that. For those (like me) in this category, we are aware that slowing our pace is not only natural, it’s advisable. How many of us can keep up with people half our age, and why would we want to try? The statement about age affecting pace should have been mentioned earlier, since a large number of NYTimes readers would benefit from this information. We can be fit and healthy in our later years without competing in a marathon.
12
Since many of us walk with GPS enabled devices, it would have been helpful if some of this information had been translated into pace per mile. For instance, I know I walk about a 16:30 minute mile, but I have no idea how many steps that is.
3
One mile is typically around 2100 steps--obviously this varies with stride length, but it's a decent estimate to start with.
4
16:30 pace translates into 3.6 miles per hour, so you’re well above the 2.7 miles per hour guideline.
use the 2.7 MPH recommendation in the article, which is supposed to be about the equivalent of 100 steps/minute. Your 16:30 pace is about 3.6 MPH so you're well above the recommended pace.
One size definitely does not fit all on this one. Even at 50, walking 2.7 mph on the treadmill is a snail's pace for me and is usually well below my cool down rate of 3.2-3.3 mph. For me, 4.0 is probably brisk, and 4.5 is vigorous. I am a regular exerciser, so it makes sense that my rates are higher, but 2.7 just seems plodding to me for anyone except those who are just getting started with exercise or relatively old. Trust your feelings- if it feels brisk, it probably is!
6
More suggestive "one-size-fits-all" exercise advice based on limited data. If I followed the advice of every exercise article in the NYT I'd be changing what I do every week. Instead I'll do the exercise I enjoy.
18
I assume the pace is for flat even ground. The most enjoyable places for me to walk involve steep rocky climbs next to fast running creeks through gorgeous forest.
6
Nothing was more enjoyable, when I was younger, now I still prefer rocky places, just less steep!
I have been walking every day for over 40 years. I'm in my late 70s, in excellent health and take no medication. Forget counting. Just get out and walk--and eat lots of vegetables.
53
This is easier: Counting 1 X 2 X 3 X 4... etc. Should be able to take two steps every second = 120 steps per minute. Not all that difficult.
4
That seems the simplest way to explain. No devices necessary.
2
120 per is the standard military cadence. It's brisk and it energizes. It actually helps if you run some Souza through your headphones or your head. Hup 2, 3, 4, brothers and sisters.
5
As a non-lover of running, about 3 months ago I started walking 2 miles daily. I realized the happiness and energy I felt whilst doing this activity. In my former years, about 6 years ago from now, I used to longboard(a form of skateboarding) , but I realized I wasn't working out the muscles I wanted from doing so. Skating nor cycling didn't activate all the same muscles as walking, jogging, running. As I stated before, I wasn't very fond of running so i turned to walking and started research on how many health benefits it provided. I then found a type of walk called "brisk walking" which I began to do, hence why I found this article. I realized that recreational bicyclists/skaters, even elite cyclists are prone to weak hips, and cramping in the hips, low back and etc.. Becaues various muscles are shortened when in the typical bike rider sit-position. I also researched that there's near complete lack of upper-body activation on a longboard and bike, that brisk walking and jogging includes. However elite runners will nearly shut down their upper body involvement to save energy and be more efficient. I wanted to do something that can work with my pace and "not feel TOO strenuous" as stated in the article.
7
Six months ago I decided to get outside and take a nice walk uphill. I now walk up a hill everyday. I’ve lost 15 lbs and never felt better! I don’t even think about the pace, I just keep walking up hills... it’s my metaphor for outliving our political era!
62
Love it, Janet D. (But on the metaphor thing, as Satchel Paige said, "Don't look back. Something may be gaining on you.") Onward!
7
I do the same. Works for me too.
Even with all of this information, I still hate exercise.
:-)
6
I’m with you there.
Ken, All can tell you is a friend's Dad just died at 100 years old. The man had smoked for 30 years ( yes and he had quit at about 60) and he never exercised, go figure. If you like to exercise, great! If you don't like to exercise, great!
1
I've always been a walker and swimmer. Now,at 66 y/o and scheduled for a total knee replacement, I wonder how much walking I should do, post-op. Is it better to swim more than my casual 4 X/week and walk less in an effort to preserve the repaired knee? Or is it preferable to return to my normal walking schedule? I know my surgeon will have an opinion but I'm curious what others may have learned from their own experience with this. Thanks.
1
You should listen to your surgeon carefully especially regarding exercise, range of motion exercises, swimming (unlikely for a while because they'll be afraid you slip and fall and/or get the incision infected.) However, the best thing for any joint replacement is walking because you want the bone to integrate with the replacement. The only way to promote this bone growth on the device is by walking. At most places they won't let you leave the hospital until you can walk. Plan on more than 6 weeks before you start to somewhat feel like you are walking normally.
9
Thanks Julie!
Speaking as a 61-year-old female who has regrettably allowed her BMI to creep into the first number that says obesity due to a long-term, long hours sedentary job, what if I get my heart rate up right away on a walk? I cross the street to walk in our indoor mall during breaks at work, and once inside I immediately take the stairs to the next mall level, walking up the stairs at a punishing pace for me, causing some SOB. I walk the entire length of the mall not at the briskest pace, trying to get my breathe back, then walk back down the stairs, return to my work building, then walk up the stairs as fast as I can to the fourth floor, gasping when emerging from the fire door, but feeling victorious. The stairs seem like the "intervals" that used to be heralded in exercise literature. Or would I be better off to stick to the first floor in the mall and take the elevator when I get back to work if I could keep up a faster pace in my walk, rather than spending time recovering from shortness of breath caused by a lot of stairs?
5
Kudos to you, kimw, on your DIY conditioning program and solo motivation.
Rather than query random NYT commenters on what's best for you, may I suggest you bring your questions to your primary doc. Give shortness of breath, she may want an EKG and a stress test (don't worry; it's tailored to your capability) in order to rule out underlying conditions and advise you on building exercise tolerance.
Consider, too, requesting a script to visit a physical therapist. As a post-menopausal woman, you'll discover a timely, highly trained, non-painful resource personalized for your goals, status and limitations. The PT take-away: learning how to build core strength (for safely picking up grandchildren), support your spine and pelvic floor (a hedge against osteoporosis and incontinence), and develop an efficient gait that muscles you up and engages your beautiful glutes.
Take back your birthright: enjoying your strength.
6
It looks like you have launched your BMI modification project with a great deal of laudable positive energy, but you are at risk for burning out early. Starting with daily walking might be a more reasonable way to go. Consider buying an activity tracker to count your daily steps and make as a goal the 10,000 steps a day that many people use. That is about 4.5 miles a day, but you can count it over a week. Find a walking partner. But you could continue to get some of your steps at work.
However, exercise needs to be paired with looking at your diet also.
And it took you awhile to achieve your BMI, so be patient with yourself!
1
Start with a leisurely stroll in nature if possible. Avoid places that turn your outing into a chore!
I keep aiming for a Border Collie pace. My Shepherd Lab Coco tends to lag a bit at times.
18
Summers in SC and my husky mix really dawdles... but we still manage 2 miles most mornings around dawn...
I walk for the sheer joy of moving , not to meet ever changing standards of ever changing experts. Sometimes I listen to audible , sometimes I wear a fitbit
22
One way to keep yourself walking at a consistent pace is to develop an exercise playlist with music that has the requisite number of beats pee minute. There are at least a couple of websites that provide this information and allow you to sort by beats per minute, genre, artist, etc.
22
Good recommendation. On Spotify you can search “100 bpm” and find that others have already curated playlists.
2
Or--less upliftingly--use a metronome.
Thanks for the article. It's interesting to see what the avg speed of walking for exercise should be. I didn't even know I was supposed to be walking briskly. Generally, I'll set the TM at 2.8 mph for a couple of minutes prior to a more vigorous workout so I think I'm pretty comfortable with the minimum 2.7 mph. Still, on the track in my local park, nearly everyone passes me when I'm walking. They must be paying attention to the guidelines.
4
After many years commuting to and from work on a bicycle, in 2010 I switched gears and started commuting on foot. My M-F work walks soon led to extended weekend walks. Slowing down also enabled me to enjoy some sights, sounds and smells that I had previously missed riding my bicycle. Now, thousands of miles (and photos) later, walking is an important part of my life.
After I started to walk more, I also started to read more articles about walking. I enjoyed the “Best 20 Walks...” types of articles, but generally shunned the prescriptive “You Must Walk...” types of articles. I started to see even more emphasis on walking “formulas” when electronic wearable fitness products became popular.
For many folks, I think walking gadgets and formulas, such as this article covers, can be helpful motivators. For others, such as me now, the pleasure that comes from just getting out to experience my city on foot is the motivation I need.
PS: I have always liked math and I wore a FitBit.
11
I always know when I’m having a good brisk walk.
I sweat !
7
New World. Sweat is not a good metric. Some people sweat rolling over in bed. Others like me, wont break a worthy sweat for a few miles on a run. But sit me down in an interview and I started sweating on the way over. Rivulets running down my side sort of sweat. Put me on a stage for a lecture, etc...no real sweating till I come off. Yet I left my guts out there!
Sweating, how much, or when, or at all is in no way linked to the actual effort made. Its more about ones ability to shed heat, and/or deal with the ambient heat, not ones efforts when exercising. Some people shed heat better then others. Some people simply sweat at the slightest rise in their heart rate.
Basically, its not an indicator of your burning enough calories, and/or reaching an optimal level of effort to shed weight. Or get fitter.
By habit some people ease-up when they feel that sweat, and as such never make any progress in their fitness, and/or weight management goals.
7
Boregard - For me, and many healthy people, sweating is associated with vigorous exercise. This may not be universal, but easy to determine.
Major omission in this article: in miles per hour, what are these various speeds as measured by "steps per minute." The treadmill machine in my gym doesn't do the latter, only the former. Poor writing, IMO.
4
You missed the part where it said "Brisk walking involved a pace of about 2.7 miles per hour"?
5
The article states that brisk walking is about 2.7 miles per hour.
7
Martin Berg, mph depends on one's stride, which depends on leg length and body mechanics. Not a useful metric for free walking, unlike the treadmill, whose stride is imposed by the belt.
So, not poor writing, actually.
4
What about older folks with arthritis? I walk five miles a day, usually. Does that count? 4 miles/ hour used to be a breeze for me, now I get passed by folks older than me all the time. I walk for enjoyment in nature not in a race to forestall death. I'm sticking to my program, studies be damned.
40
Interesting, riding our tandem bicycle my wife and I average about 120 RMP for the entire ride. While not walking it does exercise pretty much the same muscle groups as walking and after an hour-plus we seem pretty well exercised. Ok, cycling isn't for everyone and our leg length differences make walking together at that pace impossible while very doable on the bike.
Technical note: our pedals are 90-degrees out of phase so each of us has our own power stroke so the energy output is maximal for both of us.
George, actually cycling doesn't activate all the same muscles as walking, jogging, running. (BTW folks a jog ain't running!)Some, but not all. And recreational bicyclists, even elite cyclists are prone to weak hips, and cramping in the hips, low back, etc - as various muscles are shortened when in the typical bike rider sit-position.
Then there's near complete lack of upper-body activation on a bike, that brisk walking, jogging includes. However elite runners will nearly shut down their upper body involvement to save energy and be more efficient.
There's also no reason to activate the core muscles when on a bike, as most people relax their core when sitting.
So...while you are pumping some major muscles on a bike, getting the heart rate up, its not even remotely the same as walking, etc...
2
BTW, Boregard - to me, running vs jogging has nothing to do with pace. Running is what you "do" and jogging is what you're going to start, the week after next.
I didn’t see a comment on pedometers. One came with my ‘smarty pants’ phone. I was pleased to find that on my go to walk of 2.5 mi I get 5000 steps in 50 min voila 100 per min. I try to walk two laps at 10000 steps as a minimum daily. In my case a sporting dog helps on multiple fronts hiking motivation, emotional support etc.
Then of course there’s the hour plus of stretching/ physical therapy (age 66) so muscles don’t knot and sciatica is moderated, and of course failing cartilage in my feet, getting custom foot beds, surgery to relieve foot pain, shattered wrist last year because two uncontrolled dogs knocked me down etc etc. All in all I try to present a moving target. Otherwise you have to sit around the house doing ‘projects’ like sorting through years of junk or risky stuff like cleaning gutters.
24
brisk walking is 2.7 MPH?! Surely this is a typo. 4 MPH is brisk.
10
I'm with you. I am a former runner, and for me, a medium-paced warm-up walk was 3.5 mph, and a brisk walk was 4.0 mph. Jogging began at 5.0 mph. (Anything between 4 and 5 mph was a very fast walk with occasional little jogging stints: it looked like I was very late for something very important!)
On the other hand, these days, post-illness and injury, I bet my "brisk" pace is well below 4.5 mph, so I suppose it's all relative.
5
I agree, it's mostly what feels comfortable to the walker! At 63, my brisk walk is 4.5 - 4.6, my jog 5.5 - 5.8. For me, 4.0 is a "cool down". I find it a little uncomfortable exercising too slow or too fast. Probably normal!
2
I'm eagerly awaiting next month's article that reports vigorous walking causes cancer.
31
I suspect the traditional "constitutional" is half this as practised by the vicar and his dog.
7
'Catrine Tudor-Locke, a professor of kinesiology at the University of Massachusetts in Amherst, [asks]
“Who wants to sing when they walk?”
Well, Prof, many people do!!!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UPfGL0tDP30
6
Sometimes I worry that I'll die before completing all of my mandatory health duties.
101
I walk at 5 miles/hr and find it easier to break into a light jog at 6 mph. Walking uses more of the core, arms and posterior chain and doesn’t make me as dyspneic. My goal is to match some of the speed walkers one sees at the Olympics! The record for women is round 8m/hour!!
4
Does that mean 100 steps per minute up a mountains side with a 30% grade? In Colorado that is the only place we might walk. In Minnesota, we might seek out the hill country - perhaps Afton, the home of the Olympic gold medal winner Jessie Diggans, and where I grew up, to do our walking, also with its 30% grades. These are the ONLY places that out door freaks will walk. Yes 100 steps per minute, but you are excersizing at sprint pace. After that, go straight to the Pikes Peak Marathon with its 8000 feet elevation gain, on 3 weeks notice. I did just that.
It's an average. You have to go down those mtns, too.
1
"Does that mean 100 steps per minute up a mountains side with a 30% grade?"
No. One would think it obvious, but hiking up a mountain side requires more effort than the parameters of this study.
3
These articles frustrate me yet I can't turn away, something like watching a train wreck. I was a runner for 35 years and stopped when, after trying to run in a tropical climate, but because it was so unpleasant, I gave that up. Reading what my heartrate should be is fruitless. All that running has slowed it down so even the briskest walk doesn't elevate it. I joined a gym for the really warm months to have access to cardio machines in an airconditioned environment. But at 70, I ask myself, when can I stop. Stop obsessing on how much exercise I get a day, stop the 15 years of pilates, stop the personal trainer, just stop and veg out watching trash tv, drinking martinis and eating krispy kremes. I have built up a wall of guilt if I don't exercise. I used to ride my bike for transportation; now I walk to get in the 10,000 steps I started doing. My progression into more and more excercise reads like an opioid junky's decent into hell.
48
There are three women at my gym who get there in the early morning and leave many hours later. They look absolutely stunning, but it’s clear to me that they simply can’t stop exercising. One is now pregnant, and I wonder what on earth she’s going to do when her routine is interrupted - if it is.
3
I was like that for many years, so I think I understand. I loved working out, especially running. I spent hours almost every day at the gym. I loved it, but I must admit that I was absolutely controlled by it, too: I could not have stopped working out. I loved it for its own sake, and for the results. People were always coming up to me on the street asking how they could look like me. Then I became ill, and my body didn't have a strong enough immune system to effectively fight. I ended up with severe fibromyalgia, myalgic encephomyalitis, and many other autoimmune disorders. Now it takes all I have to maintain my home and get in a good walk every day. How I miss the gym!
5
I have a friend who is so obsessive about exercise that even in the face of a stress fracture that turned into a full blown fracture and enduring a cracked pelvis from a bike accident she finds it hard to stop. I think this is similar to other obsessions/addictions and needs to be addressed in the same way - therapy.
9
I wish that the fundamental concept would be more greatly emphasized that humans have evolved to move, a lot, and just about every system in our body benefits from physical activity including our brain. Inadequate movement makes us decline in every measurable way. I think things like specifying how many steps you should take and how fast is a bit of a silly consequence of smartphone apps.
3
While, I agree exercise is good for you, I wonder about your argument. Looking at history's great scientists, philosophers and artists, many were physically feeble; with perhaps no "active minutes" per day. J. Robert Oppenheimer sat at a desk all day working and chain-smoking. Reading the bios of many centenarians reveals a surprisingly sedentary lifestyle.
walking with my partner is a problem as her shorter legs mean the same pace rate leaves her well behind me after only a few steps
hmm - maybe if I practice shorter steps ?
1
Overthinking this perhaps...
Walk if you want to walk; jog if jogging is your preference;
running is great when you're young enough to put up with the sore joints.
Step counting? You're becoming a robot. Stay human, please.
8
I understand breaking it down to 100 steps, taking a long walk no matter how many steps you take per minute It’s great exercise so don’t get carried away with too much math, just get out and do it and have some fun
16
Go to the gym. Get on a treadmill. Set it for 2.7 mph. See how that feels. Get off the treadmill. Go outside. Start walking. Notice what is going on around you. Say "hi" to everyone you meet. Pet dogs. Notice the sounds. The smells. Walking outside is both physical exercise and a re-connection to your environment.
Or. Go home. Sit down. Watch TV. Enough of our scolding. If it isn't important to you to be all that you can be, it's your choice.
7
Yes, a hundred steps a minute if you are young and long-legged. Some of us, however, are seniors with short legs and sore knees. So I will stick to my 30 minute walk per day and not worry about how many steps I take every 60 seconds.
8
Move more, eat less. I notice plenty of slim old ladies live to their 90's who maintain a simple lifestyle with little formal exercise. (E.g., Nancy Reagan lived to 94.)
4
A step in the right direction!
3
pardon me, but I am over 60 and can walk very briskly
2
130 steps/minute = how many miles/minute? .. AND
140 steps/minutes = how many miles/minute?
Thank You -
3
Ummm, depends on the length of your stride, no?
Some basic math: stride length in feet x steps per minute / 5280 feet per mile = <x> miles/minute. Multiply by 60 to get miles/hour.
The article’s 2.7 mph at 100 steps/minute works out to a stride length of 28.5 inches.
2
Depends on the length of your stride.
2
Please stop with this obsession with numbers. Everybody is an individual and what is vigorous for one person is not for another but everyone is capable of knowing inside their own body what is vigorous for them and what is not. Please dol not take the enjoyment out of walking by obsessing over your stopwatch and questioning yourself as to if you’re doing it right. If you are out there and giving your body some challenge then you are doing it right for you.
35
Take advantage of gravity. Stride up a long hill. If you use a treadmill, crank up the incline a few percent. Strap on a pair of ankle weights. After a period of adaptation you won't even notice they're on. But when you take them off you'll feel as light as a ballet dancer.
2
"Who wants to sing when they walk?" I do. Walking has cadence and can induce musical thoughts and activites. It also inspires my version of poetry which can lead to interruptions while I write down my great quotables.
2
My Thai Ridgeback keeps my walking pace spirited, she keeps me in a vigorous exercise zone especially when she picks up a scent of interest. That along with my new walking shoes helps to invigorate me.
I've found that if circumstances such as health problems prevent me from exercise my strength diminishes. However, getting back to my routines takes less time recuperating when I increase my walking pace, as well as stepping on my Me-Mover.
Staying active is the key to feeling better, I've proved that to myself many times, even at 80 years of age I can feel my strength return as well as an increase in muscle definition.
There is no reason to accept muscle deterioration as we age, we can help slow the process down with an active lifestyle.
9
Here in Hove, walking has an extra dimension beside the sea on a wide prom. The word "walk" and "learn" have the same Indo-European root: recognition of the two activites going together. A walk solves problems, and fuels experience. Pg. Wodehouse and Virginia Woolf were among those writers who found walking essential to writing.
16
My Fitbit pings me to walk 250 steps every hour. If I don’t dilly around that’s 2 minutes of walking. I’m 61 and it’s not a strain, apart of stopping whatever I’m doing and getting on with it.
5
The best way to keep a good, consistent pace is to find music you like that matches the pace you prefer and walk to the beat of the music. You can find ready-made playlists on Google Play or itunes pretty easily, or you can go through your existing music with a metronome to find songs that work.
9
Speaking from experience, this society is not so welcoming to brisk walkers. Ironically, it's more accommodating to joggers than someone who's not outfitted with every flashy running accessory you can buy. Most people on the sidewalk trudge grudgingly, and even when their faces aren't buried in a cellphone, remain blissfully oblivious to their surroundings. A fast walker passing by suddenly jolts them back into awareness, a state with which they show little familiarity or appreciation. The looks I sometimes get I can best interpreted as ""Hey, I thought we all had an agreement to walk like robots. What's your problem buddy?"
32
Exercise is what puts you in a discomfort zone, without making the task impossible. 2.7 mph would not be discomfort zone for most people under 60 with normal BMI.
9
Exactly. I found this advice daft: “The good news is that this pace will probably not feel strenuous to most healthy people.”
If it doesn't feel strenuous it's not exercise.
Editor’s note: This comment has been anonymized in accordance with applicable law(s).
6
It also seemed odd that the research showed some folks over 60 who needed to go a good deal over 100 steps per minute. It seems unlikely that there are people over 60 in that category and not people under 60.
5
Pretty much no one thinks that - most folks agree that you have a target heart rate zone that you need to achieve and maintain.
Science is wonderful thing---if you use it.
Consider how it is ill-used here by starting with first principles.
2.7mph is the suggested speed.
6000 steps/hour is the suggested rate.
There are 14,256 feet in 2.7 miles.
The suggested rate of 6000 steps/hour means each step should be a 2 feet 4.5 inches.
This would be the normal pace for someone who stands 4 foot 9 inches.
For an adult this would be brisk mincing.
Get real.
24
@Adam: YMMV. I'm 5 feet tall, and that works for me!
3
“On average, a man's walking stride length is 2.5 feet, or 30 inches, according to Arizona State University Extension. A woman's average stride length is 2.2 feet, or 26.4 inches, reports the school.”
Using that measure, averaging the men’s and women’s stride you get 28.2 inches, almost exactly what the article suggests. Not sure where you got the notion that this represents a person shorter than 5 feet.
3
A lot of NYT minor editors were excessed a year ago.
1
This sounds surprisingly useful. The only problem might be counting for 10 seconds without the mind wandering.
Take this as just one of the methods to motivate yourself. I have yet to find a better motivator than my iPod Nano 6th gen, long out of production. Nor am I looking, to be honest. Not knowing the number of steps I've walked each day feels all wrong; knowing and carrying this in a small clip-on makes it all come together. Now that I have some easily measurable goal I'll try to speed things up a bit for a portion of the walk.
Incidentally, to those who object to a walk as being anything but leisure, you make good points, but that's not the whole picture. I spend about half the time listening to birds or contemplating the clouds. The other listening to audiobooks or podcasts. And it's all tallied up for motivational purposes. I know of no better therapy, and urge everyone to try it. I composed this little adaptation the other day, after a walk in the Wildlife Refuge:
an eagle an osprey a heron and a hawk/ that’s the way you spell a walk/ I got walkin’ runnin’ around my brain/ walkin’, runnin around my brain.
14
This was a very helpful article. The constant referencing in articles of moderate and brisk and vigorous has been confusing. While hardly the final word, it certainly helps to clarify what researchers are talking/writing about when such terms are used. Thanks.
11
Enjoy your new job with Trump.
2
I walk a lot, generally 5 to 7 miles a day. Sometimes, "brisk", other times leisurely. What about the pleasures of feeling the breeze, watching the toddlers earnestly examining a leaf, marveling at the astonishing variety of canine life at the end of every leash?
For heaven's sake, enjoy your walks! It's not a job, not a race to be run, it's a walk. It feeds the human sprit. Chill out, people.
159
Actually, some people relax at faster paced. Each to her own...
3
By all means, have yourself a pleasant leisurely walk. Stop to smell the roses off you pass any.
But if you want cardiovascular benefits, walk briskly (or its equivalent) for a couple of hours a week.
6
Amen!
Researchers wanted to look for walking pace for measures of their efforts, such as heart rate. Just count how many steps you take in ten seconds and multiply that number by six she says. There are small variations among people . For some people it was 98; for others 102. But 100 stepps per minute is a good rule of thumb for everyone, unless you are past 60 age. Walking is a good exercise for health as it health with digestion, burning body fat, respiration, and keeps person young.
7
Helps with sleep too if done in the morning. I think it is a good idea to sing while walking. Don't yodelers and military exercises have their marching chants?
1
Don’t get into too much technicalities. Just walk little faster than one would walk leisurely.
Problem with these kinds of studies and articles is that people get into technicalities and exercise for few days and then stop.
Instead just walk when you get time and enjoy walking
53
Is that 30 minutes in aggregate throughout the day, or is it advised that it be 30 continuous minutes in order to provide benefit?
I walk 12 minutes to the train, 13 from train to work, and the same going back home, totaling 50 minutes. Does that mean I'm good?
8
Most studies agree that your activity can be discontinuous without loss of efficacy.
5
Not if your destination is a desk job....sitting is the new smoking! Get up frequently throughout the day if you have a desk job. Otherwise, it's all for naught.
1
I think the answer is yes.
2
1) Everybody has a smartphone these days. Use the metronome app.
2) For healthy people, what "brisk" precisely means doesn't matter much; you just walk fast enough to feel some exertion. It's really old or frail people that needs more precise definition, and 100 steps/min definition fails for them. They should experiment individually and come up with the speed that they walk at for 30 min without adverse effect the next day.
3) The downside of steps/min method is that even a slight up/down hill will change your effort. If you are exertion-sensitive, you should drop to the slowest possible speed or avoid incline all together.
16
my partner and I both have iPhones - one day after walking together we checked the Health app which shows how many steps and distance walked each day - mine showed like 8000 steps and so many kms - hers showed like 11000 steps and several more kms – yet we had walked together the same distance.
from that I figured that the iPhone may assume an average step length to estimate distance walked.
so now I'm thinking it might assume an average person's leg length being for an average height of what - like 5'6" ?
9
@TK Sung: Nope, NOT true that "everybody" has a smart phone these days! I deliberately don't have one, and a great many other people deliberately don't have one either.
In NYC, figuring out how far you've walked is easy: 20 blocks uptown or downtown = 1 mile.
Going crosstown is variable b/c distances from one avenue to another are inconsistent.
5
Actually, it is important to understand what "brisk" means. If there were a proper definition for "brisk", in a medical / scientific context, we would not have to put up with this drivel.
Brisk walking is what feels like brisk walking to the walker. For many of us 2.7 mph is not brisk, while for some it is above their capability. Articles like this discourage people from exercising if they don't feel they can go at that speed. The bottom line is that any exercise has benefits. Try to walk like you are in a hurry and that is the best you can do. Gradually you may get to the "magic" 100 steps per minute or not. For me 4 mph was a brisk walk, but I can mo longer walk at that speed. I still walk like I am in a hurry but now I walk slower; it's still exercise.
84
Maybe they are just giving people something to shoot for.
2
Any walking is good for you compared to being stationary, but this article is useful in helping people to aim for better health. If we stop publishing articles like this because they "discourage" some people, then we are pandering to the lowest common denominator in society - people who are looking for any excuse not to get up and move. Not to mention the apparently growing number of people who prefer their own intuition over empirical research, to the point where they denigrate the research in favour of what just feels right.
6
What? Only 2.7 MPH? Sorry, I can't go that slow.
For me, brisk walking is 4.2 MPH.
22
I walk 20 minutes in 1 mile, and in 1 hour I have walked 3 miles. It was easier to keep track when it was city blocks and flat not so in the suburbs where the sidewalks are 1/3 as wide as city blocks and tree trunks take what is left.
3
And my preferred pace is 4.7, but that’s not the point of the article.
2
Why do you think strangers need to know that?
2
My definition of "walking briskly" is to walk as if you have an appointment several blocks away and are concerned that you might be late.....so hurry a bit.
20 to 30 minutes, most days.
Good Health to you!
78
You're describing the life of most New Yorkers who doubtless walk "because" they have an appointment to go to several blocks away. When I lived in the city, walking up and down the subway steps, running to catch a connecting train and walking several blocks several times a day with the NYC pace made a gym membership unnecessary and I slept like a baby.
Now I take your advice and walk artificially fast. I never counted my steps but as an otherwise healthy middle-aged man, I walk at a moderate pace at about 3 miles/hour and at a brisk pace of 3.5 to 4 miles per hour. As a steps estimate, 3 miles is around 6000 steps, 4 miles is about 8000 steps.
9