How Fast You Should Walk to Boost Heart Health

Walking is a popular form of exercise for good reason: It’s low impact, accessible, and free aside from a pair of supportive shoes. 

However, a casual stroll around the neighborhood may not be intense enough to improve heart health. Here’s how vigorously you need to be walking to elevate your heart rate and reap meaningful benefits.

How to Know If You’re Walking Fast Enough

Most adults will need to walk faster than 3 miles per hour to reduce their heart disease risk. However, it can be hard to gauge how fast you’re walking unless you are on a treadmill.

One way to assess your pace is to track your heart rate with a fitness device. To estimate your optimal heart rate zone for exercise, start by subtracting your age from 220 to get your maximum heart rate. For moderate-intensity exercise, aim for 50-70% of your maximum heart rate.

You can also use the talk test to check your intensity. During moderate exercise, you should be able to talk but not sing. If you’re exercising vigorously, you should still manage a few words at a time without gasping for breath. Your pace may vary day to day based on how you feel.

“The goal is to feel better after you exercise, and you do not need to overdo it,” Gerald Jerome, PhD, FAHA, a behavioral exercise scientist and professor in the Department of Kinesiology at Towson University, told Verywell. “Some days you might have lower energy. Consider sticking with your routine even if you are at a slower pace.”

Tips to Boost the Intensity of Your Walks

Your pace and intensity will depend upon your fitness level. “Intensity is relative. What is a brisk walk for one person may be too fast or slow for another,” Jerome said.

If you already walk regularly, you may find that your usual route begins to feel easier than it used to. If you find that a walk around your favorite park does not seem to be enough of a challenge, there are a few things you can do that will increase your intensity.

“On the treadmill, you can add a minute or two at a higher incline before returning to your usual incline and speed,” Jerome said. “If you have a walking route, you can change your route to include some hills.”

Another way to increase intensity is to incorporate faster-paced intervals into your regular routine.

“On the treadmill that might look like a minute or two at a faster pace, then back to your usual pace,” Jerome said. “If you are walking in your neighborhood that might mean walking faster for a few blocks, then returning to your normal pace.”

How Much Walking You Really Need Each Week

Adults need 150 minutes of moderate exercise or 75 minutes of vigorous exercise weekly, according to most recent guidelines. If you cannot find an uninterrupted 30-minute time to walk, experts say you can still benefit from walking shorter, more frequent intervals, like two 15-minute daily walks.

Jerome said small changes—such as parking further away from your destination or taking the stairs instead of the elevator—also add up and count toward your overall daily activity.