Many of us are constantly fine-tuning our routines to make them the healthiest they can be. This may involve eating clean, taking the right supplements, lifting weights, meditating, and spending quality time with family and friends. But what if we told you that one simple tweak to your daily walk could add extra healthy years to your life? Enter the Japanese walking routine everyone’s raving about—for good reason.
The benefits of lacing up your sneakers and heading out on a brisk walk are aplenty. For one, it’s a stellar workout for those who want to burn calories and lose weight. Research shows that something as simple as walking can increase aerobic fitness while decreasing body mass index (BMI), body weight, and body fat percentage—even if you’ve led a more sedentary lifestyle. What’s more, if you stick with your walking habit for the long-term, you’ll decrease your risk of coronary heart disease (CHD), coronary events, and even mortality.
Just when you thought tracking your steps couldn’t get any more rewarding, the Japanese walking routine enters the chat—and it may be the simplest way to boost your longevity.
What Is the Japanese Walking Routine?
Although Japanese walking technically isn’t brand new, it’s recently made major waves on TikTok.
The technique is essentially interval walking at its finest. Japanese walking requires you to walk at a high intensity for three minutes, a low intensity for another three minutes, and repeat for a total of 30 minutes—four times per week.
Japanese researchers apparently compared the benefits you’d get from interval walking versus maintaining the same pace throughout. They discovered that interval walking at a moderate intensity could fight particular age-related effects, such as heightened blood pressure, weak thigh muscles, and a decreased ability to work out.
According to coach Eugene Teo, this walking method delivers “10 times the benefits” of the classic 10k-steps-a-day target. In his TikTok video caption, which received 1 million likes, he wrote, “I still aim for at least 8,000 [steps] a day—but sometimes, life just gets in the way. But even if it’s only an extra ~3,000 steps, this simple 30-minute protocol on my walking pad can make a huge difference.”
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