Brisk walking is a low-impact exercise with benefits for all ages.

It is an easily accessible activity that can be done anywhere with little to no equipment.

Brisk walking has been shown to improve cardiovascular fitness,muscle strength, endurance, and body composition.

Daily Brisk Walking Benefits

Photo composite by Tara Anand for Verywell Health; Getty Images

This equates to walking a mile in 13 minutes and 20 seconds to 20 minutes.

The faster you walk, the more calories you might burn.

To lose weight you must be in a calorie deficit, meaning you burn more than you consume.

Mallory Christopherson DC, FMT, CSCS

This deficit can be achieved through diet and exercise.

How Many Calories Does a 30-Minute Walk Burn?

Thenumber of calories burneddepends on the person’s weight, pace, and the distance covered.

You will burn more calories at that pace if you weigh more, and fewer if you weigh less.

Adding bursts of 10 minutes of faster walking to your walks is a good place to start.

If you are new to brisk walking, try walking briskly for 10 minutes five times a week.

Your distance goalsmay also change over time.

Measuring Distance and Speed

How can you determine how far and how fast you are walking?

Methods include:

Benefits of Daily Brisk Walking

Walking has physical and mental benefits.

Other low-impact moderate-intensity activities likeswimming, biking, or gardeningcan have the same benefits.

Some people find that overexaggerating this movement can help them walk faster, while others let it naturally occur.

Summary

Brisk walking is a low impact exercise that has health benefits for all ages.

A brisk walking pace ranges from 3 to 4.5 miles per hour, depending on ability.

The current physical activity recommendation for health benefits is 150 minutes a week.

This could be a 30-minute 1.5-mile walk five days a week.

A quick pace increases the intensity and makes your walk a moderate-intensity exercise.

Arm swinging is less considered than leg movements but is still a crucial part of efficient walking.

Paying attention to arm swing can help improve pace.

People with disabilities and other conditions can modify and adapt their walks to meet their needs.

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