The 2 2 1 walking rule is a walking interval workout, which means you do 2 minutes of brisk walking, followed by 2 minutes of jogging and then 1 minute of regular walking, which is then repeated for 15 minutes to 30 minutes to improve your fitness, boost your metabolism and burn your energy efficiently through varying intensities.
To follow the 2 2 1 walking rule, you start with 2 minutes of brisk walking and pick up your pace to a challenging level.
Then transition to 2 minutes of a light jog.
And then slow down to a recovery pace and do 1 minute of regular walking.
The 2 2 1 walking method involves alternating between walking at a brisk pace, jogging and then a steady walking state and can be the secret to a faster metabolism as well as staying fit.
30 minutes of walking is also between 3,000 steps to 4,000 steps although the exact number of steps in the 30 minutes of walking also depends on your pace and your individual stride length.
A moderate or brisk walking pace is around 100 steps per minute, which then adds up to around 3,000 steps in 30 minutes of walking.
A very brisk walk may get you closer to 4,000 steps to 4,500 steps.
Also factors like your fitness level, height and incline of the terrain you're walking on also influences your stride and the amount of steps you'll take in the 30 minute walk.
To remain active and healthy you should focus on consistency with your walking and find a comfortable and achievable walking pace, and start lower around 4,500 steps a day and then gradually increase the walks.
Even walking around in a mall, store or in the house counts towards those steps.
When it comes to optimal health it's better to walk both faster and longer.
Walking faster is also strongly linked more to reduced mortality risk and more improved health and longer walks also build your endurance and can also be more sustainable.
The ideal approach to walking for health benefits is to actually combine both walking faster for a portion of your walk and then continue walking for a longer distance.
The more you walk, the healthier you can become and you can also lose weight by walking longer and even faster and can help to maintain a healthy weight.
Walking a faster pace is associated with a lower risk of death from all causes, especially from cardiovascular disease as it helps keep your heart healthy and helps improve blood flow.
Brisk walking and walking fast also improves your heart's efficiency and increases oxygen delivery to your heart and the rest of your body and helps to reduce cardiovascular issues.
For older adults, increasing your walking speed and walking as fast as you can, can also lead to substantial improves in your overall ability to walk longer distances.
Longer walks also help to build up your overall endurance over time.
And slower, longer walks also put less strain on your body, when compared to fast walking, which can also potentially lower your risk of injury.
Longer walks can also be good as they can also provide you more time for a mental time out and can also improve your emotional well being.
To combine both walking fast and longer walks, start out with a brisk walking pace to get your heart rate up, as this also provides the most significant health benefits.
Then add longer distance at a moderate pace.
After the fast paced portion of your walk, continue walking for longer distances at a slower or even more moderate pace to meet your step goals and help build your endurance.