How to turn a walk into a health-boosting workout

Just before lockdown in 2020, Hilary Mines, 54, was diagnosed with hip dysplasia. A keen swimmer, walker and occasional runner, Hilary realised she was now completely reliant on walking to maintain her fitness levels. 

“I’d swum a lot, but when pools closed I noticed a difference in muscle tone,” she says. “Due to my diagnosis, I wasn’t able to run. Instead, I started walking with poles to keep my fitness up. It’s a great full body workout.” 

Hilary, who has launched a community walking app called Trundl to inspire others, now walks between 3 and 5km (approx 2-3 miles) on weekdays and 8 to 10km on weekends. She’s one of many who turned to walking during lockdown. The Centre for Research into Energy Demand Solutions found that 58 per cent of people were walking three days a week or more in summer 2021 compared with 36 per cent pre-pandemic. 

The good news is a brisk walk can make us fit. “Our risk of mortality and coronary heart disease is decreased by being active, raising the heart rate, and improving our circulation,” says Arj Thiruchelvam, a performance coach from performancephysique.co.uk. “Walking, just like running, swimming or cycling, can be a substantial cardiovascular workout.”

Rachael Mackenzie, physiotherapist and director at workathlete.com, agrees. “People who walk regularly have improved body composition, cardiovascular function, VO2 max, bone health and metabolic risk factors,” she says. “Across every kind of health metric, walking has a place in nudging the dial positively.”

Depending on your level of fitness, a brisk walk on the flat may be enough to boost your cardiovascular function. But, if you are reasonably fit, there are other ways of turning a walk into a workout.  

Walking poles

We tend to think walking poles are for the elderly. In fact, becoming a Nordic walker can increase fitness for anyone at any age. A 2013 study found that Nordic walking in comparison with normal walking can increase oxygen consumption by 15 per cent and increase peak heart rate by 12 per cent. Studies also show the activity significantly helps stimulate the muscle of the upper body and arms, especially the triceps and latissimus dorsi.

The motion is similar to cross-country skiing. Arms are bent at 90 degrees, with poles planted close to the body and always diagonal: do not plant them in front of you. Rita Throup, a Nordic walking instructor based in Lancashire, adds that walking poles can also be used as a mobile gym. “Use them to provide stability to build in some squats during your walk, to add variety and increase intensity,” she says. 

Changing terrain

The simplest way to scale up your walk is to find an incline. “Studies have shown there are minimal strength benefits to walking on the flat,” says Arj Thiruchelvam. “But hill walking will stimulate leg muscles, and replicates the gym environment.”

Rachael Mackenzie adds: “You’re using your whole body to walk up a hill: you’re using your core to stabilise your legs more for that increased step height, you’re using arms for increased balance.” Walking on uneven terrain also increases effort, she says. “You’re using balance and righting reactions: you have to be conscious of your steps, you have to respond really quickly in terms of your muscle activity.”

Adding weight

Any hiker will be aware that carrying a backpack makes walking harder. Essentially, according to Thiruchelvam, wearing a weighted pack (or “rucking”) mimics what it’s like to walk if we weighed more. “If you’re 3kg heavier, you have to work harder. Your heart has to pump harder and faster to circulate oxygen to your muscles and your lungs in order to keep at the same speed. Adding weight is like setting the incline higher on the treadmill – it brings the point exhaustion sets in a little earlier.”

He advises using a backpack or weighted vest rather than hand-held weights, as it means weight is more evenly distributed – but start with a lightweight vest of 5kg (11lbs) and build up core strength first. 

Vary intensity

Suddenly increasing speed can be effective. “People hit 50 and walking speed starts to decline, due to their muscular fitness,” says Mackenzie. “Every day, when you’re out on a walk, introduce bursts of speed.”

Such bursts of intensity – or “fartlek training”, as the Swedes call it – mean our body adapts to moving at different speeds. There’s no set structure, so it’s suitable for different fitness levels. Thiruchelvam advises increasing pace for 30 seconds so you are walking “out of your comfort zone”, slowing down until you have almost recovered, then going again. A 2020 study showed that cross-country runners using this type of training had improved muscle endurance. 

Start power walking

You don’t need poles to get the upper body involved – start power walking instead. “Engage your arms just as you would if you were running,” says Nina Barough, author of Walking For Fitness and founder of the breast cancer charity-fundraising MoonWalk. “Increased pace comes from our arms, not feet. The next step towards a faster pace is to streamline your stride by putting one foot directly in front of the other and shortening your stride. A good power walker should aim for 5mph.”

Set a target

The easiest way to know if you are walking fast enough to get fit is to do the Talk Test – “You should feel the exertion, but still be able to hold a conversation,” says Barough. But you can also use a heart-rate monitor to make sure you’re exerting yourself at around 65 per cent of your max. (Your max heart rate is 220 minus your age). 

Step counts also provide a target. A study published in the Journal of the American Medical Association has found people taking at least 7,000 steps during middle adulthood had a 50 to 70 per cent lower risk of mortality – irrespective of step intensity. “The real benefit of walking is we can accrue a lot of steps without having to do formalised exercise,” says Thiruchelvam. “People should move incidentally, then walk for a longer distance or higher intensity at least three times a week.”

Kit yourself up

• Nordic walking poles: The beginner-friendly Leki Smart Response poles have a tip for use on all terrains. £89.99, leki.co.uk
• Weighted vests: This 5kg strength-training vest is fully adaptable to suit any body shape and allows full freedom of movement. £19.99, Decathlon
• Power-walking trainers: Look for trainers with a low heel profile and a roomy toe box which are more flexible than a hiking shoe. Try Salomon’s Pulsar Trail Gore-Tex. £150, Salomon

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