The 10,000-step daily target, long held as the gold standard for health, originates from a 1960s Japanese marketing campaign for a pedometer called the Manpo-Kei, or '10,000 steps metre'. A 2023 study by the University of Granada suggests that 8,000 steps is sufficient to significantly reduce the risk of premature death, yet many still struggle to fit the 90-minute commitment into a busy day.
Enter a new walking protocol, colloquially called 'Japanese walking' due to its country of origin. It takes just 30 minutes per day and relies on alternating between high-speed and low-speed intervals. Fitness coach Eugene Teo claims it offers '10 times the benefits' of walking 10,000 steps per day, based on a 2007 study published in the Mayo Clinic Proceedings.
The original study examined 246 men and women aged around 63, dividing them into groups undertaking high-intensity interval walking training (IWT), moderate-intensity continuous walking training (CWT), or no walking. The IWT group performed three-minute intervals of fast walking (at 70% of peak aerobic capacity) followed by three-minute recovery walks at 40% capacity, repeated five times. After five months, the IWT group saw a 13% increase in isometric knee flexion, a 17% increase in another measure, and an 8% increase in peak aerobic capacity, significantly greater than the CWT group. They also showed a greater reduction in resting systolic blood pressure despite spending less time walking each week.
As a fitness writer, I decided to test the method myself. On my usual 30-minute lunch walk with my dog, I covered 2.12km at a pace of 14min 10sec per kilometre, averaging 85bpm and burning 157 calories. The next day, using the Japanese walking protocol on the same route, I alternated between a speed just under 120 steps per minute and a recovery pace of around 100 steps. This time I covered 2.94km at an average pace of 10min 12sec per kilometre, with heart rate peaks of 104bpm and average 86bpm, and burned 211 calories.
While my personal test is far from a scientific study, the results align with the research: interval walking can increase calorie burn and cardiovascular demand in less time. For those seeking a time-efficient way to improve fitness, the Japanese walking method may be worth incorporating into a weekly routine.
