The simple 3-3-30 method that supercharges your morning walk
‘It lowers your blood pressure. It improves your heart health. It reduces risk of stroke, it decreases your risk of cognitive decline, it reduces anxiety, it improves your mood…’ Good Housekeeping’s fitness expert, Kim Hawley, is a big fan of walking. ‘30 minutes a day, that’s all you need,’ she says. ‘30 minutes of brisk walking makes a huge difference to your health.’
That’s why we’re launching the 5 Million Steps Challenge. On 4 July, we’re putting walking generally, and women’s fitness specifically, firmly on the map. And we need YOU. Head to your local park, pavement, track or field and… walk. However far you can or want – 10 steps, 10,000, 100,000… It all adds up.
When you email us at [email protected], or share your step goal get on social media with the hashtag #5millionstepchallenge, we’ll tot them all up into a wider GH total. Together, we’re aiming for the grand total of 5 million – a step change in women’s health and fitness, taken together.
Because, as Kim says, walking works wonders. But how can you supercharge those benefits? Try the Japanese walking method, suggests Kim. Essentially: ‘it’s three minutes of fast walking, then three at a moderate pace. Repeat that for 30 minutes.’
The method was developed by researchers at Shinshu University who divided over 200 study participants into three groups for five months. The first group did no walking training. The second went for moderate intensity walks. The third undertook the new, alternating pattern and saw the biggest improvements in their fitness levels. Their and blood pressure and inflammation also improved the most, and they were better protected against dementia and osteoarthritis.
Essentially, it’s HIIT, or interval training – boosting your cardiovascular fitness but at a much gentler pace. Proponents also praise the mental health benefits of walking in this more focused pattern.
Want to go even further? ‘Walk with weights,’ suggests Kim. ‘Get a backpack, pop some weights in it, or even just some bottles of water, and off you go. Or buy a weighted vest. The most important thing is to make sure you do it every day, and stick to it.’
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