Walking is a sport that is easy for anyone to do and can be done anywhere. If you set the right pace and arm movements, your walking is considered power walking, which has many health benefits for your heart and joints.

What is power walking?

Actually, there is no specific definition to distinguish between regular walking and power walking. Power walking, as a general term, refers to walking faster than you normally would.

Power walking enables you to cover more ground than a regular walk, but not faster than jogging or running. If your average pace while walking is 5 km/h, you can cover more ground with power walking.

Benefits of power walking

There are several health advantages to walking. Upgrading your walk to a power walk can also help increase the benefits of walking even further. Some of the benefits of power walking include:

Enhances physical health

When compared to regular walking, power walking has a greater impact on your overall wellbeing. Studies indicate that if you compare power walking with low-speed walking for six weeks, your level of fitness will increase.

Improves cardiovascular health

Power walking can improve heart health, especially in patients who have had a heart attack. Power walking was found to significantly improve echocardiogram measurements in a study involving patients undergoing cardiac rehabilitation.

Maintains a constant body weight

Power walking is just one type of regular walking that can aid in fat burning. Data from 3,388 respondents in the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey indicate that men and women who regularly power walk have smaller waist circumferences. Reducing the waist circumference can also help lower insulin levels, body weight, and body mass index (BMI).

Strengthens bones

Power walking can also help strengthen bones. According to a study, power walking for an hour at a moderate intensity every day can help people with joint problems avoid getting worse. Another study found that perimenopausal women who power walked for four hours a week had a lower risk of fractures.

Power walking exercises provide benefits for both physical and mental health. Power walking has been shown to have positive effects on mental health, including enhancing memory, preventing dementia, and enhancing decision-making abilities as we age. Additionally, studies indicate that power walking can lessen depressive and anxiety symptoms as well as elevate mood.

Guidelines for power walking

If you would like to give power walking a try, start by working on your posture when working out. Here are some pointers to help you power walk with a good swing and pace:

• Control the arm swing. To increase the momentum of your steps, flex your elbows to a 90-degree angle and powerfully swing your arms
• Keep your back straight, chest out and gaze forward
• Lock your abs while moving
• Shorten and speed up your steps
• Land on your heels

Just like walking, power walking has a number of physical and mental health benefits. If you want to start power walking, you should wear comfortable clothing and shoes specifically made for power walking.

If you need medical advice or consultation, you can either visit a doctor or make use of the consultation features that are available in the Ai Care application by downloading the Ai Care application from the App Store or Play Store.

Want to know tips and health tricks, first aid, and home remedies? Click here!