Let’s Find Out The Benefits and Secrets of Power Walking

September 16, 2024

If walking is an effective and accessible form of physical activity, power walking enhances its intensity and benefits.

This discipline involves sustained-pace walking, with strides from heel to toe and simultaneous arm pushing.

Classic walking mainly involves the lower body, while power walking is a cardio workout that also engages the core.

Main Features

Power walking requires a faster pace than walking but slower than running, typically between 6.5 and 8 km/h.

Keeping one foot on the ground makes this low-impact and less stressful than running, particularly for the knees.

The sport’s essence is to traverse a greater distance in the same time or finish usual routes quicker.

This allows you to either increase your step speed or lengthen your stride, depending on your physical fitness.

Proper Power Walking Techniques

Before starting the activity, it’s important to warm up the muscles.

Stretching should focus especially on calves, groin, spine, and glutes to prevent injuries and expand flexibility and range of motion.

Besides proper foot placement, keep head up, chin parallel to the ground, and arms at 90 degrees, swinging relaxed fists.

Moreover, engaging the core facilitates proper posture.

Walking with the pelvis in a neutral position will avoid pain in the hips, knees, and back.

Health Benefits

Balance

A study published by the journal BMC Women’s Health examined the effects of power walking on postural stability.

104 women over 50 practiced power walking to work daily for 30-35 minutes, at least five times a week.

At the end of the study, its effectiveness in preserving the ability to maintain balance, even with eyes closed, was demonstrated.

Power walking reduces the risk of falls in situations where orientation and visibility are compromised, for example in poorly lit conditions or unfamiliar environments.

Digestive System

Similarly, research conducted by Japanese scientists has shown that a minimum of 9,500 steps a day can lead to a 50% reduction in irritable bowel syndrome.

Specifically, walking after meals would accelerate the movement of food through the digestive tract, stimulating the stomach and intestines.

Cardiovascular System

Finally, regular walking is also an ally in cases of hypertension.

Increasing the speed of the exercise reduces the likelihood of developing cardiovascular diseases, also thanks to maintaining optimal body weight.

Power walking strengthens the heart, and a stronger heart pumps blood with less effort, limiting the buildup of pressure in the arteries.

Does Power Walking Extend Life?

According to a study in the medical journal Mayo Clinic Proceedings, the answer might be yes.

Several researchers in the UK have analyzed data from over 400,000 volunteers over 10 years, looking for a possible correlation between fast walking and living longer.

They found that those who walked faster than 6.5 km/h tended to live 13 to 24 years longer than those who maintained a pace slower than 5 km/h.

As an observational study, where phenomena are merely observed without intervention, the researchers noted that the walking pace was simply an indicator of longevity.

However, the result suggests that power walking is an excellent form of exercise with great benefits, capable of improving physical fitness and, potentially, extending life.

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