Want To Make Your Walks Healthier? Try The 'Sing Test'

Person walkingAmidst endless and sometimes overwhelming exercise advice, it can sometimes feel hard to keep our fitness goals in perspective. While gym bunnies might obsess over whether to do cardio after weights, for instance, only 33% of men and 26% of women over 19 met the NHS’s full activity guidelines in 2021 (social deprivation was linked to less movement).That’s partly why doctors are so keen on free, largely accessible, and unintimidating exercise, like “overlooked” walking. The Lancet recently found that people who took 7,000 steps a day enjoyed a 47% risk reduction in all-cause mortality, with decreased likelihood of developing heart disease, cancer, type 2 diabetes, dementia, and depression.Brisk walking gives better health results than slower strolls. But what does “brisk” really mean?What is “brisk” walking?Brisk walking can sound a little vague and relative, and it’s true that everyone’s pace. But in general, among healthy adults, the NHS says that “A brisk walk is about 3 miles [4.8km] an hour, which is faster than a stroll.” A good way to tell if you’re reaching this pace is through a “sing test,” which has to do with your vocal control. “You can tell you’re walking briskly if you can still talk but cannot sing the words to a song,” the health service explained. Speaking to HuffPost UK previously, hospital doctor and consultant practitioner, Dr Hussain Ahmad, said brisk walking “means you’re walking fast enough to feel warmer and breathe a bit harder, but still able to hold a conversation”.If you’re still unsure, you can use fitness watches and apps on your phone to work out your pace. Why is brisk walking healthier for us?Brisk walking has been linked to better longevity outcomes than slower walking, perhaps because it works your heart harder.More specifically, it has been linked to a 20% reduction in premature death compared to 4% for slower walkers.Great news – health advantages were seen among those who stuck to 11 minutes of brisk walking a day.As the NHS says, you “do not have to walk for hours”. Ten minutes of brisk walking a day, they say, “has lots of health benefits and counts towards your 150 minutes of weekly exercise”.Related...I Went From 10,000 Steps A Day To Wearing A Fracture Boot. Here's What It Taught Me About 'Healthy' WalkingWalking May Slash Dementia Risk, Especially If You Carry This GeneIs Walking Enough Exercise? Here's What Doctors Say

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