The great thing about walking is that you don't need any equipment, you can do it anywhere, and it's completely free It will be an ideal way to add movement to your day But if you're walking to boost your fitness, the researchers have found that your pace is more important than the number of steps

The best fitness trackers recommend hitting 10,000 steps every day, but this number is not based on any research Instead, it seems to originate from a marketing campaign for a Japanese pedometer translated as "pedometer" in the 1960s

If a target helps increase motivation to go outside, it's not bad, but you don't really need to achieve that goal to see the health and fitness benefits According to researchers at the University of Massachusetts, it may be more important to aim for a pace of 100 steps per minute

The team reviewed previous studies, and the results were published in the British Journal of Sports Medicine, and found that a cadence (pace) of 100 steps per minute can be classified as a medium-intensity exercise to boost fitness and boost heart rate

Of course, it is not necessary to use walking as the main form of aerobic exercise, but according to current US Department of Health and Human Services guidelines, adults should aim for moderate-intensity aerobic exercise that spreads throughout the week for at least 150 minutes

So, you don't have to throw away your gentle, mindful walks, but increasing the pace frequently can help you achieve your recommended weekly goals, especially if you're not a fan of running or other cardio and prefer walks instead

1 step per 100 minutes is an easy-to-remember goal, but it's not that easy to measure with a fitness tracker or smartwatch Most wearables convert your pace to miles per hour, using your cadence and distance to assign an average pace

So, in reality, we want to aim to walk briskly at a rate that increases your heart rate, at a pace that makes you feel like you're exercising, rather than taking a casual walk In this way, you can feel the strength of the walk, even if you do not use a tracker

But changing your activities is also important Government guidelines also suggest that "moderate or higher intensity muscle strengthening activities should be performed, and that includes all major muscle groups of 2 or more days a week""But this does not mean that you have to go to the gym several times a week Instead, you can invest in a set of adjustable dumbbells and kettlebell, and use a high-intensity resistance training (HIRT) workout to work your muscles and raise your heart rate for an extra cardio boost