It’s not just about speed when walking, there are other factors to consider when practicing this exercise.
Many people around the world choose to walk every day in order to exercise and positively impact your health.
Some, over time, increase the difficulty and speed of their daily walkswith the expectation of achieving a greater physical impact.
But How much does walking faster influence the goals of those who practice this exercise?
Greg Righter, physical therapist at Spaulding Rehabilitation Network, affiliated with Harvardensures that nor is it just about speed when walkingbecause that will depend on the person and the place where the conference takes place.
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For the expert, Daily walkers should focus primarily on two things they can measure: target heart rate and rate of perceived exertion.
“If you just take a leisurely walk or walk through a grocery store, it won’t create a change and won’t have much of an effect on your health.. When you want to exercise and create a physiological change, you need to increase your heart rate, ”says the physical therapist.
According to Righter, who was reviewed by The Harvard Gazette, The first thing to define is the maximum heart ratefor which you simply take 220 and subtract the age.
“Let’s say we’re talking about a 60-year-old person: 220 minus 60, their estimated maximum heart rate is 160,” says the expert.
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Second, you must establish what is called the target heart rate.. Depending on the level of training you wish to obtain, you should exercise between 65% and 75% of your estimated maximum heart rate.
“They need to take 65 percent, that’s 104. So ideally when they’re walking, the target heart rate is up to 104 beats per minute,” he adds. Righter
But how to measure this? Currently, it can be monitored with a smart watch. However, those who do not have one can use what is called the rate of perceived exertion (for its acronym in English).
This is a simple scale of 1 to 10, where 1 is resting and 10 is working so hard that you can’t even breathe. The ideal range is to feel between 4 and 6, a moderate level of work.
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Finally, you should also take into account the time of cardiovascular exercise that is performed each day. The American Heart Association recommends 150 minutes a week, or 30 minutes a day for five days.
However, if you are just starting out in these types of routines, time is a goal that can be worked on gradually.
Writing NTN24