Calculating your pace
If you’ve tried walking as a means of getting fit in the past but been frustrated by the lack of results, it’s probably because you weren’t walking fast enough. While any exercise is good for you, you need to walk at a certain pace to gain significant health and fitness benefits. The ideal number of steps per minute for improved health is 115 upwards. To see real fitness benefits, it’s 124-155. In my experience, the average person takes about 94-105 steps per minute.
The pace you’re aiming for is called your optimum walking pace (OWP). Use the instructions below to establish your OWP. When you find this pace, you should naturally reach the step-per-minute targets for health and fitness, as it will be faster than your natural walking pace.
Break point drill
This drill is designed to help you establish your OWP. You will first work out your maximum walking pace (MWP). This is not the pace you will be walking at, as you will not be able to keep your technique at this speed. Easing off this pace by about 5-10% will give you your OWP – the pace you should be aiming to walk at when you walk actively.
Choose a long stretch of space where you can walk without interruption, ideally with some evenly spaced markers such as benches or fence posts. With good technique, start walking at a leisurely pace. After about five seconds (or one fence post/bench), increase the pace slightly. After another five seconds, increase it some more. Continue to do this until you’re walking so fast that you have to break into a run – this is your break point. The pace you’re walking at just before you reach your break point is your MWP. You’ll probably find that your technique has gone to pieces, but don’t worry. Ease off your MWP by about 5-10% – this is your OWP. It should be fast enough to feel breathless, but slow enough that you’re able to maintain good technique.
When you’re starting out, repeat this drill at the beginning of every walk so that you get used to how your OWP feels. And remember, your OWP will increase as you get fitter, so don’t compare your speed with anyone else’s or worry that you’re walking too slowly.
Find your baseline
The number of steps you take in a day is also important if you want to see tangible results from walking. If you decide to follow one of our 28-day walking plans you will need to find your baseline (the average number of steps you currently walk in a day). To work this out, you’ll need a pedometer to count the number of steps you take on a normal day. Wear it for the first three days of the programme and write down the number of steps you take each day. Then add the total number of steps from those three days together and divide that by three. This figure is your baseline, which you’ll gradually build up throughout each plan.
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Key terms to remember
• Maximum walking pace (MWP) The fastest pace you can walk at without breaking into a run
• Optimum walking pace (OWP) The pace you should be aiming to walk at when you head out for a walk – about 5-10% slower than your MWP
• Break point The point at which you’re walking so fast, you need to break into a run
• Baseline The average number of steps you currently take in a day
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