How Fast is a Brisk Walk & What are its Benefits?

“Walk as if you are kissing the Earth with your feet!” This is perhaps one of the most known quotes about walking. We all know simple walking has some real great benefits to health. In fact most of us reading the article must be in to regular walking. In this article we will know something about Brisk walk, know how fast is actually a brisk walk and also talk about the benefits of brisk walk. Hope you find the article pretty interesting.

Brisk walking is known to have its wonderful benefits in reducing weight and also reducing various health risks. But what exactly is a brisk walk and how fast actually is it? Well, here we will know about the same in a fair way.

As per The CDC or Center for Disease Control and Prevention, brisk walking is at a pace of 3 miles per hour or more or approximately 20 minutes per mile.

However for normally fit people it is good to go for a brisk walk that equates 15 minutes per mile or about 4 miles in an hour.

Brisk walking is actually a moderately intense exercise which refers to your exertion. In brisk walking you need to walk at a pace higher than your normal rate of walking so as to reach your moderate intensity zone. The Moderate intensity zone is defined as the 50% to 70% of your maximum heart rate and it varies by age.

One requires to breathe harder than his usual breathing rate while brisk walking. Usually one doing a brisk walk can be able to speak in full sentences but should not be able to sing.

You can measure your heart rate or pulse rate while brisk walking by using a target heart rate calculator so as to measure your exertion.

One can make use of a walking pace calculator for finding out his or her walking pace while performing brisk walk. You can input your walking distance and time in the calculator so as to get results in minutes per mile or minutes per kilometre as suitable.

There are also walking speedometers and applications for finding out the walking pace during brisk walking.

Here we come to the most important section of our article, where we will discuss about the varied range of health benefits one gets from brisk walking on a regular basis. Hope after going through these benefits of brisk walking you would be excited enough for starting your brisk walk immediately.

1. Weight Loss Benefits of Brisk Walk:

   Brisk walking is most known to be effective in reducing weight. It must be noted that brisk walk helps in burning the same amount of calories while you are running. Frequent brisk walking helps you get the effective result in reducing weight. Brisk walking for at least 15 minutes, after meals helps greatly in weight loss.

2. Benefits of Brisk Walk in Improving Muscle Endurance:

   Brisk walking helps in improving muscle strength greatly. It may be painful when at first you start with the brisk walk; but maintaining the walk for some days would surely get you appropriate results in improving muscle endurance.

3. Cardiovascular Health Benefits of Brisk Walking:

   Brisk walk is known to help in improving cardiovascular health. Endless hours of workout at gym may drain you for sure. So, if you are looking at an exercise which would provide you enough health and fitness and take care of your cardiovascular health then brisk walking would be an ideal one for you.

4. Brisk Walking is Beneficial in Toning your Butts and Thighs:

   Walking at a faster rate or brisk walking would help tone your gluteal muscles. Thus it can be an ideal way to tone your butts and thighs if done regularly at least for 20-30 minutes a day.

5. Benefits of Brisk Walk in Increasing Oxygen Supply to the Body:

   One more benefit of brisk walk is that it helps in increasing the level of oxygen supply to the body. People who are feeling breathless or have issues in breathing must go for brisk walking which would be a great exercise that increases the oxygen flow in to your system. Being out in the fresh air while walking aids your lungs to function smoothly.

6. Benefits of Brisk Walk in Improving Spine Health:

   It is known that walking is an exercise that nourishes the spinal structures and facilitates better circulation, pumping nutrients in to the soft tissues and aids in draining out toxins. Moreover it also increases the flexibility and posture and helps prevent awkward movements and susceptibility of any future injury

7. Benefits to People with Arthritis:

   Arthritis patients would be greatly benefited from brisk walking. Being gentle and effective when done in the proper form; brisk walking can help the patients of arthritis maintain a good balance. So, if you are one suffering from arthritis and have been avoiding exercises then it is the right time to start your walking.

8. Mental Health Benefits of Brisk Walk:

   “Mental health is as important as the physical health.” One of the best exercises that help in improving mental health is walking. And, brisk walking can be a great exercise to boost your mood, help you keep away from stress and improve the brain health. It is studied that it helps in improving memory in seniors, aids in boosting up creativity in the younger ones, also improves the academic performance in students.

9. Brisk Walking is Beneficial in Reducing Falls Among Elderly People:

   One of the benefits of brisk walking to elderly people is it reduces the risk of fall. Brisk walking on natural ground helps in improving balance and reduces fall, especially in elderly people or seniors. Regular and gradual practice of walking with a slightly greater pace than normal, can be very effective for seniors.

10. Benefits of Brisk Walk In Improving Immune Function:

    Brisk walking also boosts the immune function. There are various studies which explain that walking benefits in improving the function of immune system. It is found that a mere 30 minutes of daily brisk walk increases the Killer T-cells and other markers of immune functions in the body.

Now that you know a bit about brisk walking and its benefits, you must be willing to know how to increase your pace while walking so as to match the level of brisk walking. So, below we will know about the ways for getting up to a brisk walk speed.

Many of us can increase our speed of walking by using simple posture, stride and arm motion techniques.

One can also increase the pace while walking by wearing flexible athletic shoes and clothing which allows free movement for speeding up the pace in a brisk walk.

However in case you are a normally fit person, you would require switching on to running or race-walking technique. This is because you may not be able to walk fast enough to increase your heart rate in to the moderate intensity zone.

Below we will talk about some things essential to know before you start brisk walking.

1. A pair of good walking shoes which have a low and supportive heel and that fits you properly which aids you walk better while you are beginning your brisk walk.
2. Loose walking gear is important for you to have before you step out for brisk walking.
3. Relaxed, loose clothing must be worn while walking which would leave enough room for air to circulate while you are walking or brisk walking.

We must keep a note that the amount of brisk walk you do must be dependent on your age. Like if you are at an age of your teens or 20s, you can exert yourself the most and you can go for one hour and more for having the desired results from brisk walk.

If you are at an age group of 30s and 40s you can go for brisk walking for about one hour with rest in between. You must note that while starting your walk you must begin at a slow pace and then gradually increase the pace.

For people in their 50s and above, one thing must be informed that as the bone density falls with age you must walk as much as possible so that your joints do not get stiff. Make sure you are not brisk walking for more than 30 minutes. Do not exert yourself much and do take rest in between.

Now that you are known to the brisk walk and know about some of the health benefits of brisk walking; why not step out of the door and start with your moderately intense exercise in the open air for a better mental and physical health?

Also Read:

• What are the Benefits of Walking After Dinner?
• How Much Should You Walk a Day to Lose Weight?
• Benefits of Walking an Hour a Day