The debate about whether it is better to walk quickly or walk slowly is settled. At least if what we are looking for is our health

Walking is an exercise that not only has the advantage of helping us maintain good health, it is also affordable for people with difficulties to exercise in other ways due to circumstances such as age or rhythm. However An old debate persistsSI for extract the benefits of this exercise We can go with a relaxed step or if on the contrary a prescription rhythm is essential.

If there are no reasons such as injuries that can be aggravated with sports, physical activity, even in “small doses”, it will always be better than inactivity. That is why the debate about the ideal of walking slowly suits us is easy to settle: walking slowly is better than not walking. Of course, experts tend to agree that, if we have the possibility, better to accelerate the step.

Walking can help our health in different ways. Our heart health is, surely, the one that can be appreciated most to wear comfortable footwear and go for a walk, but it is not the only one.

Walk has been related to a lower impact of diseases such as diabetes but can also have psychological benefits such as stress reduction or help Improve concentrationespecially when we walk through natural environments.

But then what about the Benefits of walking quickly? Again, cardiovascular health is in the center of the debate. A study Recent in highlighting this is the one published in 2024 in the magazine Atherosisclerosis.

The study, which had almost 20,000 participants, analyzed their mortality in a period of 9.4 years. The team responsible for the analysis detected an inverse relationship between the rhythm with which they used to walk and the risk of death and suffering from cardiovascular diseases.

Studies that relate the rhythm of our gait with the benefits that walk gives our health They are diverse. Some also cover the relationship between speed and cognitive deterioration.

Some examples are found in The review published in 2016 In the magazine Ageing Research Reviews. The team responsible for the analysis found a relationship between the speed of the passage when walking and the cognitive deteriorationalthough it was not conclusive about the existence of a direct causal relationship since it could also be cognitive deterioration that makes us walk more slowly.

Lose weight

Weight is an important risk factor in many diseases. That is why, although thinning does not have to imply that we will be healthier, it can be useful to reduce this risk or as a simple motivation towards healthier habits. Among them, exercise.

If our goal is to lose weight, accelerate the step It can also be helpful. Of course, the context can be important, as a group of researchers recently discovered. In Your studypublished in 2024 in the magazine Sports Science & Medicine, They detected that Genetics could be decisive when reducing our weight through this type of exercise.

Walking is an affordable and healthy exercise, but science finds more and more evidence that it is best to accelerate the step if we want to make the most of the benefits of our walks. Walking, even at a leisurely rhythm, can help our health, but can also help us take the habit necessary to direct us, little by little, towards a more active life. Step by step.

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