It’s no “magic bullet,” but a recent TikTok trend could boost your health without too much extra legwork.
Users of the social media app are spreading the gospel of high-intensity interval walking, after latching onto a nearly 20-year-old Japanese study that touted some health benefits for older and middle-aged people.
The 2007 study found the technique of switching back and forth between periods of “high-intensity” and more relaxed walking — a technique TikTokers are calling “Japanese walking” because of the study’s country of origin — could do more to lower blood pressure and build muscle and aerobic capacity than the same amount of continuous walking at a more moderate pace.
Participants in the 2007 study did three minutes of fast walking, followed by three minutes of slower walking, for 30 minutes per day at least four days per week.
Subsequent studies have also found the technique to have a range of potential health benefits.
While it may seem obvious that working a little bit harder on your walk will be better for your body, Nancy Salbach, professor at the University of Toronto’s Rehabilitation Sciences Institute, said high-intensity interval walking is accessible to many people who are not necessarily used to aerobic exercise.
“You need to get your heart rate up; you need that three minutes of high intensity. That’s what’s pushing you over the edge to get greater benefits than just walking at a moderate pace,” she said.
“You probably can do better if you can do 30 minutes of running, but not everybody wants to go for a run.”
Salbach, who does research to promote older adults to walk in their communities, says the physical and mental health benefits can be amplified by walking in green spaces like parks and gardens, which she says is proven to reduce blood pressure and heart rate.
If possible, she says, it’s also best to do with a friend or in a group.
“Then you have the chance for social interaction, social support, and that can make the whole activity more enjoyable.”
Getting out is key, prof says
Some TikTok users are touting high-intensity interval walking as a way to save time, to allow people who are used to taking longer, slower walks to meet their health goals.
Fitness coach and content creator Eugene Teo, in a video that has nearly a million likes, claims it offers “10 times the benefits” of walking 10,000 steps per day. (That in itself may be an arbitrary figure, researchers say.)
Stephen Cheung, professor and senior research fellow at Brock University’s kinesiology department, says the exercise will provide maybe five per cent more health benefits on average than walking at a normal, continuous pace.
Some have also suggested it’s a way to lose weight, though Cheung says the exercise won’t necessarily burn many more calories than more moderate walking.
But he still encourages people to try the technique, saying it offers the “psychological motivation” of doing something different than a normal walk.
He also urges walkers not to get hung up on the details.
“It doesn’t have to be kind of really regimented in terms of, there’s this optimal interval of three minutes on, two minutes off,” he said.
“I don’t want people to think, ‘Oh, I need a stopwatch. I need the latest kind of tracker to do this.’ Every so often, whenever you feel like it, just pick up the pace a little bit and then slow down and go back to your normal pace.”
Canada’s 24-Hour Movement Guidelines for Adults recommend 150 minutes per week of moderate to vigorous physical activity for people aged 18 to 64, which amounts to 30 minutes, five days per week. The guidelines also recommend doing muscle-strengthening activities at least twice a week.
The important thing, Cheung says, is to get out and walk, regardless of how you do it.
“As with any fitness trend, it’s not the one magic bullet. There is no one perfect exercise for that’s going to fit everyone,” he said.
“This is just another tool in your arsenal. If you are already used to walking, just try to add some variety by incorporating something like this.”
