The Daily Japanese Walking Routine For Weight Loss and Energy

Walking workouts have gained quiet momentum worldwide. Unlike high intensity interval training (HIIT), or reaching 10,000 steps each day, this walking method enhances oxygen and nutrient delivery to the cells of the body as well as decreasing stress hormones while strengthening lower-body strength.

Researchers developed the Japanese interval walking technique, which alternates regular walking with bursts of faster-paced walk to improve cardio fitness and fat metabolism.

Burn calories

Walking can help burn calories quickly, but adding high-intensity intervals to your routine can up the ante even further. Alternating paces challenge heart and muscles while being gentle on joints. Shawn G. Anthony, MD, an orthopedic surgeon and associate chief of sports medicine at Mount Sinai Health System in New York City suggests starting off by switching off between three minutes of slow walking followed by three minutes of fast walking for five times for an efficient 30-minute workout session.

TikTok fitness enthusiast @coacheugeneteo popularized Japanese walking, or interval walking training (IWT). IWT consists of alternately walking slowly and fast in order to increase muscle strength and aerobic health; researchers found that adults who engaged in this form of physical activity four days each week for four weeks experienced decreased blood pressure levels and stronger leg muscles.

Interval walking can help people build endurance without feeling intimidated or out-of-shape, says Scott Capozza, PT, spokesperson of the American Physical Therapy Association. Begin with one minute of high-interval walking the first week and gradually add minutes until you can complete three slow walking minutes followed by three fast walking minutes for 30 minutes straight.

At the IWT workout, you’ll begin with several minutes of slow walking to warm up your body and joints before increasing the pace and walking fast for three minutes until reaching 70% peak effort; that is, where talking becomes challenging but maintaining conversation remains easy, says Anthony. For the slow walking portion, maintain an easy pace to take in some scenery or catch up with friends.

Once the high intensity portion is complete, lower the incline on your treadmill and switch into recovery walk mode for two minutes – this helps lower your heart rate back down to normal while giving muscles time to relax before moving onto another interval. Repeat the sequence for 30 minutes and end it with another five minute stroll at a slower and more leisurely pace for cooldown.

Lift mood

Walking can be an effective way to raise your heart rate and burn calories, but adding in bursts of fast-paced steps can increase the benefits even further. Although these bursts might leave you breathing heavily at first, the intensity will help your body use more energy for fuelling workouts – leading to weight loss and improved performance!

Japanese Walking or Interval Walking Training (IWT), has quickly become one of the hottest trends on social media. Like any walk, Japanese Walking starts out slowly to warm up muscles and joints before gradually picking up pace to about 70% of maximum effort for three minutes at a speed that’s comfortable but conversational; after which three more minutes at slower pace are repeated five times to complete 30 minutes of Japanese Walking.

Studies involving adults who engaged in high-intensity walking four days each week saw them experience significant improvements to both strength and cardiovascular fitness, including lower blood pressure. Furthermore, participants showed stronger thigh muscles compared with participants engaging in regular, moderate intensity walking.

Japanese walking can also serve as a wonderful stress reliever. “Walking allows you to decompress while spending time outside in nature and moving your body,” according to Nyland. It’s much healthier and more effective way to reduce tension than fighting with family or relying on alcohol or other substances as a stress relief option.

Nyland stresses the benefits of this low-stakes workout for almost anyone; however, she advises consulting your physician first if you have heart or lung conditions, balance issues or recent injuries; in addition, she stresses taking precautions if experiencing pain or dizziness while working out.

As with any exercise routine, creating a habit is the key to staying on track with it. Try scheduling walks at the same time each day and keeping all weather-appropriate clothing and shoes within easy reach for an effortless start each time. Nyland suggests beginning with three 30-minute walks weekly before gradually increasing them as your stamina increases.

Steady energy

Japanese walking pushes your cardiovascular system to adapt, leading to greater endurance and fitness capacity. A 2024 study demonstrated this effect: those who practiced this method boosted both peak aerobic capacity and leg muscle strength faster than regular walkers despite taking less time than traditional methods of walking.

At its core, walking has many health and psychological advantages that include helping you burn more calories, gain muscle strength and enhance your mood. But because our bodies can only sustain such high levels of intensity for limited periods, ideally walking at a brisk pace for three minutes at a time and then gradually slowing your pace for three more. Engaging in such intervals four times weekly for 30 minutes can improve heart health while burning extra calories and reaching weight goals more quickly.

Yamuder notes that an intense workout can also help older adults lower blood glucose and insulin resistance by engaging their muscles more heavily, thus increasing absorption and utilization of sugar more quickly than when moving at a moderate pace.

Your walking routine can easily fit into your daily exercise regimen with just the right shoes, clothing and a watch or fitness tracker that allows you to set an interval timer. A fitness app that lets you program intervals in advance can make this even simpler. When walking outdoors or on a treadmill, select an even path; walking on uneven trails could damage joints while potentially leading to injuries from trips or falls.

Japanese walking can be a great way to add steps and boost overall fitness, but should not replace other forms of exercise such as strength training and mobility exercises, according to Dara Ford, RD, program director for American University’s Master of Science in Nutrition Education program. Strength training exercises may promote muscle growth while bone health may benefit from mobility exercises.

Finding a workout that is both challenging and enjoyable will increase the odds that you stick with it and reap its benefits in terms of a healthier lifestyle.

NEAT tips

Walking is an ideal low-impact workout for everyone, whether or not they have prior exercise experience. Walking can help burn calories, build muscles and enhance mood while even improving metabolic health.

Walking has never been more dynamic: “Japanese walking,” or interval walking, has recently emerged as an innovative form of exercise that is increasing its intensity. This method alternates three minutes of fast-paced and three minutes of slow walking for optimal fitness benefits comparable to higher intensity workouts such as jogging or running.

Experts consider walking to be the ideal exercise for both beginner and veteran walkers who wish to break through fitness plateaus, and it can also help add steps toward fulfilling American Heart Association recommendations of 150 minutes of moderate intensity physical activity per week and 75 minutes of vigorous intensity physical activity per week.

Start Japanese walking by warming up with some slow walking to warm your joints and muscles, before gradually increasing your pace to about 70% of your maximum effort for three minutes – at which you should easily be able to hold conversations – for three minutes at a time before gradually slowing it back down to 40% for three more minutes, repeating five times for 30 minutes total of Japanese Walking sessions. “This is an effective way of increasing steps without overworking your joints,” according to orthopedic surgeon Shawn Anthony.

By switching up your pace, you force your body to adapt in ways regular walking alone cannot. One study published in 2024 demonstrated this principle by showing people who practiced this form of training saw greater gains in leg strength and peak exercise capacity compared with people who simply maintained one consistent pace for equal amounts of time.

Interval walking may help increase your VO2 max–the maximum rate at which oxygen is consumed by your heart, lungs and muscles during physical exercise. A study showed that participants who used this technique saw greater increases in their VO2 max faster than those doing continuous walks.

Interval walking can be enjoyed safely by almost everyone; it is wise to check with your physician first if any preexisting health issues or injuries exist, or you are experiencing discomfort. A safe environment such as an open park or your neighborhood would be suitable, along with shoes with strong support.