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It involves different walking speeds (Image: Alamy/PA)
The fitness world is no stranger to viral crazes and passing fads, from exercise snacking to vibration plates to the 75 Hard Challenge, with something fresh seemingly emerging every week. One trend that fitness influencers have been championing is the Japanese walking method. But what exactly does it entail, and is it worth giving a go?
We spoke to Steve Chambers, a certified personal trainer and gym manager at Ultimate Performance, who broke down how this method works, along with its potential benefits and possible drawbacks.
What is the Japanese walking method?
“It’s a cardiovascular training method, but it’s a little bit more focused than just going out and trying to do more steps because there’s a bit of a protocol to it,” says Chambers. The Japanese walking method is also referred to as Interval Walking Training (IWT).
“It involves alternating between three minutes of walking at a slower, more relaxed pace, followed by three minutes of faster, more purposeful walking, repeated in cycles for around 30 minutes,” the personal trainer explains. “So, the effectiveness of this workout come from the changes in intensity over this half an hour period, rather than the number of steps.”
Chambers recommends completing a warm-up beforehand, and notes that this method utilises the RPE (Rating of Perceived Exertion) scale from one to 10 to assist people in measuring and regulating their pace. “For the slower three-minute periods, you want to be on the lower end of the scale, so I would recommend nothing more than a five out of 10,” advises Chambers. “If you do this with someone else, you should be able to hold a conversation during this three-minute window.
“However, for the faster three-minute periods, you want to try and push that up to a seven or an eight out of 10. So, you’re not quite maxing it because you want to be able to repeat this multiple times over the half-hour period, but your heart rate should go up quite a lot.”
Influencers have been praising the method (Image: Alamy/PA)
What are the advantages?
Needs minimal kit
“You can do it either on a treadmill or outdoors on foot,” says Chambers. “All you need is a stopwatch or a phone to help time the three-minute cycles.”
“This training method is accessible to lots of different types of people, including those who are brand new to training and don’t know where to start,” says Chambers. “The entry level for it is really low because your seven out of 10 versus somebody else’s will be completely different, so it’s accessible for different fitness levels.”
“Running has a high impact on your joints when your feet hit the floor. However, the surface impact of walking is a lot lower, so this walking method of training is much more friendly on the joints,” says Chambers. “Therefore, from a longevity perspective and an injury prevention perspective, this is a massive win.”
The benefits and drawbacks have been discussed (Image: Alamy/PA)
Works numerous different muscles
“All the lower body muscles – such as your glute muscles, quadriceps, hamstrings, and calf muscles – are engaged during this interval walking method,” the personal trainer explains. “Even the smaller muscles, ligaments and tendons in and around the feet will all be working while you walk.”
He notes that walking also naturally activates both your core and your arms.
Boosts cardiovascular fitness
“During the faster intervals, you heart will be working a little bit harder and will be pumping more blood around the body, which will improve your cardiovascular fitness,” Chambers states.
“I would recommend asking a friend or family member to join you, as it can be a great opportunity to catch up with somebody,” Chambers suggests. “Sharing this journey can help boost enjoyment and motivation, which makes people more likely to keep going and do it more regularly.”
“Everyone is so busy these days, so if you haven’t got a lot of time in your diary for training, you can just do this in a half an hour slot that you have spare,” Chambers explains. “So, this is a really time-efficient training method which is another big win.”
Are there any limitations of this method to consider?
“One drawback is that there’s a limit of how much muscle growth, definition and strength that somebody could get out of following this walking training method,” Chambers warns. “This is because although the muscles are working whilst you are walking, there isn’t that external load that needs to be there to further increase strength levels and improve muscle definition. Therefore, I would recommend doing it in conjunction with other forms of training such as resistance training.”
He also stresses the importance of approaching every fitness trend circulating on social media with a healthy degree of scepticism.
“I’ve seen many fitness trends come and go over the years, and while some are gems, some have no research to back them,” says Chambers. “So, if you see a fitness trend on social media I would recommend doing your own research and it might be worth consulting a personal trainer too to see if they know anything about it.”
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Paracetamol is used to relieve mild to moderate pain. (Image: Getty)
Regular paracetamol use has been linked to higher blood pressure, a study has warned. Paracetamol is a painkiller that helps with pain and high temperature. It is a commonly used painkiller that can help relieve headaches, joint pain and stiffness, toothache, sore throats, and fever caused by colds or flu. Paracetamol has traditionally been viewed as a safer option for people with high blood pressure than some other painkillers, including non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) such as ibuprofen.
However, research published in 2022 suggested that regular use could have a measurable effect on blood pressure. 110 patients with a history of high blood pressure were prescribed one gram of paracetamol four times a day – a routinely prescribed dose in patients with chronic pain – or a matched placebo for two weeks. Those prescribed paracetamol saw a significant increase in their blood pressure compared with those taking the placebo. All patients received both treatments, with the order randomised and blinded. This rise was similar to that seen with NSAIDs, and might be expected to increase the risk of heart disease or stroke by around 20%, the experts said.
The team said the findings should lead to a review of long-term paracetamol prescriptions to patients, especially those with high blood pressure. The University of Edinburgh study, published in the scientific journal Circulation, marked the first large randomised clinical trial to address the issue and complemented earlier work in observational studies.
Professor James Dear, personal chairman of clinical pharmacology at the University of Edinburgh, said: “This study clearly shows that paracetamol, the world’s most used drug, increases blood pressure, one of the most important risk factors for heart attacks and strokes.
“In summary, we’ve shown that two weeks of treatment with paracetamol increases blood pressure in patients who have hypertension (high blood pressure).”
Lead investigator Dr Iain MacIntyre, consultant in clinical pharmacology and nephrology at NHS Lothian, said: “This is not about short-term use of paracetamol for headaches or fever, which is, of course, fine – but it does indicate a newly discovered risk for people who take it regularly over the longer term, usually for chronic pain.”
Professor Sir Nilesh Samani, medical director at the British Heart Foundation, which funded the study, said the findings “emphasise why doctors and patients should regularly review whether there is an ongoing need to take any medication” and “always weigh up the benefits and risks.”
“However, if you take paracetamol occasionally to manage an isolated headache or very short bouts of pain, these research findings should not cause unnecessary concern.”
Phil Pyatt, CEO of Blood Pressure UK also said: “Paracetamol is the most commonly taken medicine in the world. People taking soluble versions don’t realise they’re taking on extra sodium, in some cases enough to take you over your maximum for the day, and this research shows that these medicines could lead to life-changing illness. It’s concerning to see that even the regular tablets could raise blood pressure which could have consequences in the long term.
“There is no need to worry about short term use, but patients, doctors and pharmacists should be aware that these medicines that seem harmless could have serious implications in the long term. They should weigh up the risks and benefits and lower the dose if possible and consider whether they are necessary.”
High blood pressure, also known as hypertension, affects around 1.4 billion people worldwide and is a major risk factor for heart disease and stroke. According to the latest figures, around 16 million people in the UK are estimated to have high blood pressure but almost five million of them don’t know they have it.
Rarely, it can cause symptoms such as headaches, blurred vision or chest pain. However, the NHS has stressed that the only way to find out if you have high blood pressure is to get your blood pressure checked.