Latest news with #Richardson
Indianapolis Star
28 minutes ago
- Sport
- Indianapolis Star
Colts camp observations: Daniel Jones, Anthony Richardson struggle vs Colts aggressive DBs
WESTFIELD, Ind. — Anthony Richardson turned in his most efficient day of Colts training camp so far on Thursday, and Daniel Jones continued to complete passes. But the big play was also missing from the passing game, and there were a lot of contested throws. Richardson completed 8 of 11 passes in 11-on-11 work and 3 of 4 in 7-on-7, focusing primarily on the kinds of short, chain-moving throws that have sometimes been trouble for him. The young passer opened with a completion in the flat to tight end Will Mallory, then two quick throws to Anthony Gould before finding Adonai Mitchell on an out, Tyler Warren in the flat and Khalil Herbert on a checkdown in 7-on-7. Working with the starters in the back half of practice, Richardson completed a dig route to rookie tight end Tyler Warren, then waited a little too long on his next throw to Josh Downs, allowing free safety Camryn Bynum to drive down on the play, breaking it up. Warren bailed out Richardson on the next throw, reaching behind himself with his left hand to snag a short throw and get upfield. Richardson found Warren again on a short throw with Jaylon Carlies in coverage on his next play, hit D.J. Montgomery over the middle after buying time in the pocket, and got Michael Pittman Jr. on a crossing route with rookie cornerback Justin Walley in pursuit. Before the throws to Montgomery and Pittman, Richardson had a chance for a big play to Alec Pierce on a deep slant, but he overthrew Pierce badly, missing enough that Pierce didn't have a chance to make the catch. He also missed Pittman on a short throw by firing too low and driving it into the dirt, below Pittman's hands. Jones completed 6 of 10 passes in 11-on-11 and 3 of 5 in 7-on-7. His biggest issue was firing into coverage. Five of the veteran quarterback's six incompletions on the day were pass breakups, including two by cornerback Jaylon Jones, one by rookie safety Hunter Wohler, one by linebacker Joe Bachie and one by veteran cornerback Samuel Womack III, who celebrated by pantomiming putting a sword back into its sheath. Like Richardson, Jones had trouble finding receivers down the field. Jones completed quick throws to Pittman and tight end Drew Ogletree, an out to Gould, a crosser to Mallory and a dig route to Gould. On his best throw of the day in 11-on-11, a deep over to Josh Downs that Downs hauled in and turned up the field ahead of Kenny Moore II, it was possible that Jones would have been sacked in a real game — defensive end Laiatu Latu was bearing down on the quarterback as he released it. Even in 7-on-7, the only downfield throw Jones completed was a deep out to Pierce in front of JuJu Brents. The other two completions were shorter: a comeback route to Pierce in the middle of the field where Pierce did a nice job of working back towards Jones to create separation and a hitch to Ogletree. Delivering a big blow isn't easy in the NFL-mandated days before the Colts put on full pads. Rookie safety Hunter Wohler found a way Friday. Roaming the flat on his first day of 11-on-11 work, Wohler broke hard on a short throw from Richardson to Mallory, bearing down and slamming into the tight end near the line of scrimmage, drawing a gasp from the crowd. Wohler's an aggressive player, lining up mostly at strong safety and playing near the line of scrimmage. A little later in the practice, he broke hard on another offering from Jones to break up a short throw, again to Mallory. The seventh-round pick has appeared to have a couple mistakes in coverage through the first three days, but he also brings a physical nature that fits the role he'll likely play, lining up as a safety and a dime linebacker. Indianapolis picked two receivers in the 2024 NFL Draft, plucking Mitchell and Gould for two different purposes. Gould made his impact almost entirely on special teams as a rookie, returning 10 punts and seven kicks while making a single catch on offense. Three days into his second training camp, Gould looks like he might be a much more capable backup for Josh Downs in the slot. Gould has the longest catch of camp so far, a deep ball from Jones on the first day, and he's had plenty of volume. Working with the second team, Gould made four catches in 11-on-11 during Friday's practice — although he did have a drop on a throw from Richardson in 7-on-7 — and he got another touch on a swing pass thrown behind Jones, making it a run instead of a pass. Mitchell, the other second-year receiver, has found tough sledding in practice so far. He had a drop — his second of camp so far — on a throw from Jones in 7-on-7, and although he's made a few catches, he's also had some trouble separating on routes, leading to a breakup by Bachie on Friday. Indianapolis is holding an open kicking competition, and not all of the kicks will happen in front of the crowds at Grand Park. But Spencer Shrader and Maddux Trujillo kicked in front of the fans for the first time on Friday. Shrader made kicks from 33, 37, 41 and 45 yards, then missed two attempts from 53 yards, hooking the first one left and pushing the other to the right. Trujillo made it from 33 and 37, pushed a field goal right from 41 yards, knocked it through at 45 yards and then missed again, pushing it right from 53 yards. Richardson: 15 of 29, INT in 11-on-11; 7 of 12 in 7-on-7 Jones: 18 of 27 in 11-on-11; 8 of 13, INT in 7-on-7 Veteran middle linebacker Zaire Franklin did not practice as he continues to recover from offseason surgery to clean up his left ankle. Developmental offensive tackle Jack Wilson also did not practice. Cornerback Charvarius Ward, nose tackle Grover Stewart and defensive end Samson Ebukam were given veteran's rest days. Ebukam is coming off an Achilles tear. Warren was active again, making three catches in 11-on-11 and another in 7-on-7. … Laquon Treadwell has made a couple of highlight-reel catches in the first couple of practices, but he dropped a strike from Riley Leonard at the start of practice. … Undrafted free safety Ladarius Tennison broke up a Jason Bean pass. … Gould and Coleman Owen were the only players returning punts.
NZ Herald
an hour ago
- Business
- NZ Herald
The rates crisis – a canny view for New Zealand: Nick Stewart
Council rates increased 12.2% annually.¹ The Taxpayers' Union documents cumulative rate increases of 34.52% over three years whilst inflation totalled just 13.7%. This is systematic wealth confiscation by people who face no market discipline for their decisions, and the Hastings District Council provides a fine example of the melee ahead. Yet, Hastings is simply one example among many bad apples across NZ. Rate increases, or daylight robbery? In Hastings, ratepayers who budgeted for normal 3-4% increases got hammered with 19% in 2024-25, followed by 15% in 2025-26. That's a compound 37% increase over two years for Hastings ratepayers. An average Hastings family paying $3000 in rates now face $4300 annually – that's $1300 extracted from household budgets that could have funded children's education or emergency savings. The timing makes this especially vicious. Right as petrol prices fell 8% – providing families with a glimmer of relief – councils threw on rate increases that more than wiped out these savings. It's almost as if they calculated how much breathing room households gained … then took it. Hastings has projected debt rising from $400 million to $700m by 2030. We're witnessing a council that has grown beyond what its ratepayer base can sustain. The rider has become heavier than the horse, which spells eventual capitulation. Every private business understands that customers have a finite capacity to pay. Exceed that capacity and customers disappear. Councils operate under no such constraint. They simply send bigger bills to ratepayers who can't escape. Like the pigs in Orwell's Animal Farm, today's councillors have forgotten they're supposed to serve ratepayers – not rule them. While private-sector businesses slash costs and implement redundancies to survive, councils expand their fiefdoms with impunity. The contrast couldn't be starker. Business managers whose jobs depend on efficiency face market discipline daily. Councillors face elections every three years, where complex budget decisions get reduced to campaign slogans. Meanwhile, they enjoy inflation-plus salary increases and gold-plated job security while imposing austerity on the very ratepayers who fund them. Richardson's Democratic Solution Ruth Richardson captures the fundamental problem: councils have become 'arrogant', 'unaccountable', and 'wasteful' and 'have got to be brought to heel'. Her proposed solution cuts through the bureaucratic nonsense: cap rate increases at inflation unless ratepayers approve higher amounts through binding referenda. This isn't radical – it's basic democratic consent for taxation. An inflation cap would restore planning certainty overnight whilst forcing councils to choose between genuine necessities and bureaucratic empire-building. Critics claim this assumes ratepayers lack perfect information about 'complex' infrastructure trade-offs, but that misses the point entirely. The current system assumes councils have perfect information about ratepayers' financial capacity – an assumption that Hastings' compound 37% increase rudely disproves. When families face financial warfare dressed up as fiscal responsibility, the 'complexity' argument becomes irrelevant. Hastings, the bellwether? The upcoming Hastings mayoral election represents more than political choice – it's an opportunity for forensic examination of fiscal responsibility: every council vote recorded, every budget decision documented, and no way for candidates to escape their fiscal DNA through clever spin and newfound fiscal enlightenment. Some councillors already express concern about 'diminishing borrowing capacity' – a tacit admission that current spending is unsustainable. When the reality finally penetrates the bureaucratic bubble, it's too late for the ratepayers. This same dynamic is playing out from Auckland to Invercargill. Yes, New Zealand faces genuine infrastructure challenges. Ageing water systems, earthquake strengthening, and climate adaptation create real costs. But this reality has become the perfect smokescreen for herculean spending growth. The question isn't whether infrastructure needs exist. The infrastructure bill was always coming due. It's whether councils have used it to justify spending that extends far beyond pipes and roads – into glamour projects, consultant fees and bureaucratic expansion. Again – when the rider becomes heavier than the horse, the system collapses regardless of how noble the rider's intentions. Why can't RBNZ just drive rates down? The Reserve Bank faces an impossible choice. It cannot provide the interest rate relief the rest of us desperately need whilst councils pump 13% of total inflation into the economy. We all need to row the boat and play our part – including the public sector. A dollar is a dollar, whether it comes from a rates bill or a grocery receipt. When councils exempt themselves from inflation discipline, they force the RBNZ to keep interest rates higher for longer – crushing mortgage holders and businesses who had no say in council spending decisions. Every responsible household and business starts the year with careful financial planning. These assume government costs increase roughly in line with inflation – a reasonable expectation in a functioning democracy. The problem lies in the fact that our councils have abandoned this social contract. When rates contribute 13% of national inflation whilst representing a fraction of household spending, councils have become the primary destroyer of private planning. Families who budget carefully find their fiscal discipline rendered meaningless by public sector excess they cannot control or escape. Voters, now's your chance … Real reform requires acknowledging that councils have become the enemy of household financial stability. October's elections offer a chance to demand proven fiscal discipline, not conversion stories. The question isn't whether New Zealand can afford fiscal responsibility – it's whether families and businesses can survive another term of public sector excess. The arithmetic doesn't lie. It simply raises the question of whether voters will finally hold councils accountable for the mathematical reality they've created.
USA Today
6 hours ago
- USA Today
Paralyzed travelers reveal just what it takes for them to hit the road
Shaun Castle cannot imagine a life without travel. 'I love seeing the world. For me, there's no bigger fear than I'm stuck at home staring at a wall,' he said. However, it's not easy as a paraplegic. 'There's no room for spontaneity. There's no room for surprises,' he said. 'Every single portion of my traveling life – and pretty much my life in general, but my traveling life especially – is planned out.' The same goes for Anne Richardson, who is quadriplegic. Both are Army veterans who were paralyzed in training exercises years ago. For Castle, it was an L4 spinal cord injury in Heidelberg, Germany, in 2003. Richardson broke her neck at C4, 5, 6 in a training exercise in Alaska in 1999. Now they both work with Paralyzed Veterans of America, which describes itself as 'the only nonprofit Veteran Service Organization dedicated solely to helping Veterans with spinal cord injuries and disorders (SCI/D), and diseases, like MS and ALS.' 'We want to enjoy things like everybody else,' said Richardson, a national vice president for PVA. PVA helped push for the Americans with Disabilities Act, which became law on July 26, 1990. Thirty-five years later, the organization says barriers still exist. Richardson and Castle shared a glimpse of the hurdles they face in travel. Hitting the road Richardson travels upwards of 25,000 miles a year, all by land. 'I can't fly. I've attempted twice,' she said. One time, her shoulder was dislocated during a transfer. The other time her wheelchair was damaged, and as she called it, 'dead on arrival.' 'I don't take any chances anymore,' she said. 'It's too dangerous for me to try to get on a plane.' Her husband, a former trucker, does all the driving. 'The first thing that we look at is the actual route. How many days is it going to take us to get there?' she said, adding that they always build in extra travel time for unexpected hiccups. She can only handle about 8 hours or 350 to 400 miles a day in their van. 'My husband starts checking the weather way out,' she said, to plan around possible delays. He also looks for construction and other issues that could impact their drive. 'Potholes and things (like that) really affect me, the bouncing and the hard hits,' she said. Those can't always be avoided, but they've found other types of workarounds. 'We haven't found family-friendly bathrooms any place that we've stopped, so I use a urinal and he empties when we're out away from folks,' Richardson said. Even when there are wheelchair-accessible stalls, she said, 'You don't know if the door or the way the toilet in the center is in the right place, where you can maneuver your chair ... things that we run into that a lot of folks don't even think about.' Taking flight Castle's biggest challenge is air travel. He travels about two weeks each month as PVA's chief operating officer. If he can drive to a destination in less than eight hours, he does so to avoid flying, but for most trips, he flies. When booking flights, he pays close attention to connections and layovers. He prefers to have about an hour and a half between flights so he can deplane, collect his things, put his equipment back together, use the restroom, rehydrate and get to the next gate with plenty of time, in case anything goes awry. 'Since I have no access to a bathroom on a plane, I have to dehydrate myself two to three days in advance because I can't risk having an accident on the plane,' he said. He packs wipes and extra clothes, just in case. He also brings his wheelchair, a seat cushion, side guards, and his adapter power device on board. According to the Department of Transportation Airline Passengers with Disabilities Bill of Rights, "Priority in-cabin stowage (either a closet or a row of seats designated for seat strapping) must be available for at least one normal-sized collapsible manual wheelchair in any aircraft with 100 or more passenger seats." 'There is nothing worse for me than them accidentally checking my wheelchair all the way through because then I have to risk being on an aisle chair or risk being on an actual airport chair, hospital chair, which could be any million different ways damaged or not upkept to where the bars or the padding are gone or whatever the case may be, and it can be dangerous. I can get sores," he said. He knows people who were left in airport wheelchairs too long, who then developed pressure sores and had to be hospitalized. "That is literally life-threatening." Aisle chairs, those narrow wheelchairs with rigid backs that fit down airplane aisles, pose a different danger. 'When you get on a plane, they're not level to where the gate ... so literally they have to tip you back and you're in the hands of– it's almost like a trust fall,' he said. Richardson said she knows horror stories of people being dropped or having their wheelchairs broken. Airlines are subject to penalties for mishandling mobility devices. Still, Castle noted, it's not just damaged property: 'If something happens that damages your wheelchair, you're literally taking my legs away from me.' Getting around While getting to destinations presents a host of challenges, getting around them poses others. Cabs, rideshares, and public transportation are not always accessible. 'Just because you have a minivan doesn't mean I can physically get in and out of that minivan,' Castle said. 'I have my wife – my caregiver – with me at all times, and she is a lot of the time having to deadlift me in and out of taxis and hoping that something doesn't go wrong.' He prefers renting cars. 'If it goes correctly, it's the best thing because we can show up; I know I have a safe mode of transportation,' he said. He always calls ahead to the rental car company's accessibility desk to request an automatic car with adaptive driving devices, such as a spinner knob. However, he said they aren't always available when he arrives, even though he has been assured they will be. In those cases, his wife can step in. 'If I were a disabled traveler who was by themselves, what do you do?' he asked. 'They're literally just stuck.' Traveling with disabilities: What fellow travelers should know Accessible accommodations Lodging can pose other difficulties. PVA notes that hotels built after January 26, 1993, are required to offer accessible accommodations under the ADA. However, Richardson said, "No matter where you go, one hotel room is not like another hotel room, so there's no standardization," and what's accessible for some may not work for others. 'The width or the depth of a shower, it makes a whole lot of difference (in) whether or not you can get in it, or if there's a slant ... or there's a little lip and your chair won't go over it," she said. "I can't use a bathtub. Doesn't do me any good.' She wishes a few more things could be added to the ADA. 'Without any incentives to make it better, usually the minimum is what they try to do,' she said. Some hotel chains have accessibility desks to help travelers with disabilities, but hiccups still happen. Both she and Castle have had their rooms given away to others or found the rooms don't suit their needs. At least once a trip, Richardson said she and her husband have to scramble to find alternative lodging, but they keep moving forward. 'Having the spinal cord injury, being a paraplegic, will not stop me from seeing the world, from being a part of the world,' Castle said. 'I will always travel until I can't."
Time Magazine
7 hours ago
- Health
- Time Magazine
What Experts Think About the Japanese Walking Trend
'Japanese walking' isn't new, but the workout recently gained legs on TikTok: People credit it with making their walking routines more exciting and leading to an array of benefits, from weight loss to better heart health. While its name is derived from research conducted in Japan, this style of workout—known as interval walking—is popular around the world, and for good reason. It involves walking at a high intensity level for three minutes, followed by three minutes at a lower intensity, on repeat for at least 30 minutes, four times a week. 'We know that exercise matters, and we know that intensity matters,' says Laura Richardson, an exercise physiologist and clinical associate professor of kinesiology at the University of Michigan. 'I think it's caught on because it's so sustainable—it's short, it's doable, you don't have to be in a gym, and there are lots of benefits to walking.' We asked experts to break down exactly why Japanese walking is so effective and how to get started. The science behind interval walking Interval training—or alternating between short bursts of high-intensity exercise, followed by lower intensity rest and recovery—has been around for more than 100 years. You can apply it to all kinds of fitness regimens, including walking, biking, running, and strength training. 'It's getting your heart rate up and then bringing it back down,' Richardson says. When you work out at a high intensity, you increase blood flow to your body's muscles and make your heart beat faster. 'That's where we get health benefits,' she adds. 'The adaptations begin happening at higher levels of intensity.' Over time, interval training leads to increased cardiorespiratory fitness, which means your body can better consume oxygen because your heart and lungs are stronger. And you don't have to spend hours at the gym to achieve it: By adding intensity to your workouts, you get more bang for your buck from a time perspective, says Rashelle Hoffman, a gait and walking expert in the physical therapy department at Creighton University in Omaha. Consider the American College of Sports Medicine's physical activity guidelines: All healthy adults should get moderate intensity aerobic activity for at least 30 minutes five days a week, or vigorous activity for a minimum of 20 minutes three times per week. 'Clearly, you're seeing greater benefits with less time with vigorous activity,' she says. 'We're stressing our body out more, and it's responding more readily to that.' Read More: Backward Walking Is the Best Workout You're Not Doing There's a psychological appeal, too. Interval walking enables you to feel like you're competing against yourself, Richardson says, as you get faster and ratchet up your intensity level. 'I always say that people like numbers,' she says. They give walkers a tangible goal, which can propel their desire to work out. Emily Mendez, who lives in Indianapolis, took up Japanese walking a few years ago because she tends to get bored walking at the same pace. The intervals give her something to focus on, she says, and she likes the sense of achievement she gets from short, powerful spurts of activity. 'It's like an accomplishment when you do the quicker walks,' she says. 'I do those and push myself, and then the slower walks for recovery are like a reward. It makes it more interesting, less boring, and more motivating.' The benefits of Japanese walking In one of the leading studies on interval walking, Shizue Masuki and her colleagues instructed 246 middle-age and older adults to walk at a high intensity for 30 minutes a day, more than four times a week, for five months. No one completed the program—they complained that it was too boring and difficult, says Masuki, a professor at Shinshu University Graduate School of Medicine in Japan. That inspired the researchers to test interval walking instead. This time, the participants actually did it, and the results were impressive. People who followed an interval walking program for five months experienced greater increases in leg strength, thigh muscle strength, and overall physical fitness, as well as a greater reduction in blood pressure, than those who only walked at a moderate pace. Additional research with more than 700 people found that interval walking improves symptoms of lifestyle-related and age-related diseases, such as changes in cognitive function, depression, and sleep quality. Plus, the technique leads to an increase in healthy HDL cholesterol levels, improved triglyceride levels, and reduced abdominal visceral fat. More generally, research suggests that walking—which is lower impact than activities like running—contributes to bone and muscle health, reduces the risk of chronic diseases, and enhances mental wellbeing. It's often an ideal choice for people who are older or overweight, Hoffman says, as well as those newly dipping their toes into an exercise routine. 'The beauty of walking is that most people know how to do it,' she says. 'There's not a learning curve, and you don't really need to have equipment.' What counts as high intensity, anyway? In Masuki's study, participants logged three minutes of walking at 70% of their peak aerobic capacity, or VO2 max—which measures the maximum amount of oxygen your body can utilize during intense exercise—followed by three minutes at 40% of their peak aerobic capacity. While a smartwatch can provide you with this data, there's an easier way to track your intensity. Read More: Why Walking Isn't Enough When It Comes to Exercise Richardson calls it the talk test: When you're working at about 70% of your aerobic capacity, you'll be breathing heavily and able to feel your heart racing, but you'll still be able to carry on a conversation. 'It's a little bit uncomfortable, but you can still talk,' she says. If you were closer to working at 100% of your capacity, on the other hand—an extreme level that experts advise against, since your body can't get enough oxygen to fuel muscles and you'll quickly feel drained—you would not be able to speak. How to start interval walking Ready to give Japanese walking a spin? Experts suggest these tips. If three full minutes of high-intensity walking feels daunting, ease in: You could start out by picking up your pace for one minute, followed by a three-minute recovery session, Hoffman suggests. 'You won't see the benefits necessarily at those lower levels, but you'll be training your body,' she says. You don't even have to aim for a 30-minute workout. Since learning about Japanese walking on TikTok a couple months ago, Yvette Hill has been doing it during downtime, like when she's waiting in parking lots to pick up her kids from various activities. Sometimes she ramps up her intensity until she reaches one corner of the lot, then slows down until she reaches the other, tweaking the program to fit her needs. 'If you're busy, this is a great way to fit in exercise,' she says. 'It's so easy and less intimidating than jumping into the gym.' When you increase your pace and shift into a high-intensity interval, it's important to pay attention to your posture. 'Get your spine up, get your chest up, and really think about swinging your arms,' Richardson says. That helps engage more of your body, while adding power to your steps. Many fitness trackers, including the Apple Watch, have a built-in feature that allows you to set up your intervals in advance. That way, your device will alert you when it's time to switch gears, Hoffman says, and you don't have to fiddle with a stopwatch. Read More: Are Walking Pads Worth It? Another option: Time each interval to a favorite song. 'Most songs are about three minutes long,' Richardson says. 'That's a good way of timing your exercise.' If you struggle with balance issues and want to make sure you're safe, experiment with walking poles, Richardson suggests. 'They can give you an extra bit of stability,' she says. 'If someone's a little hesitant—maybe an older or deconditioned person—using a hiking stick or trekking poles can give you an extra set of so-called legs.' One of the reasons walking is so accessible is that you can do it anywhere. That said, high-intensity exercise will feel different depending if you're walking on a treadmill, nature trail, hilly roads, or the beach. 'Your heart rate's going to respond differently to all those different terrains,' Richardson says. Pay attention to what works best for you—you might find, for example, that you love the built-in challenge of walking on the sand or crave quiet moments in the park. Like any other fitness program, there are ways to adjust interval walking to fit your needs. You could wear weights on your arms or even carry small dumbbells to get a better upper body workout, Hoffman suggests. Or switch things up and do squats or lunges for one of your high-intensity intervals. 'This idea of intervals could be applied to different targeted areas of your body,' she says. 'It doesn't have to be just walking.'
Yahoo
8 hours ago
- Health
- Yahoo
What Experts Think About the Japanese Walking Trend
Credit - Photo-Illustration by TIME (Source Images: 4x6/Getty Images (5)) 'Japanese walking' isn't new, but the workout recently gained legs on TikTok: People credit it with making their walking routines more exciting and leading to an array of benefits, from weight loss to better heart health. While its name is derived from research conducted in Japan, this style of workout—known as interval walking—is popular around the world, and for good reason. It involves walking at a high intensity level for three minutes, followed by three minutes at a lower intensity, on repeat for at least 30 minutes, four times a week. 'We know that exercise matters, and we know that intensity matters,' says Laura Richardson, an exercise physiologist and clinical associate professor of kinesiology at the University of Michigan. 'I think it's caught on because it's so sustainable—it's short, it's doable, you don't have to be in a gym, and there are lots of benefits to walking.' We asked experts to break down exactly why Japanese walking is so effective and how to get started. The science behind interval walking Interval training—or alternating between short bursts of high-intensity exercise, followed by lower intensity rest and recovery—has been around for more than 100 years. You can apply it to all kinds of fitness regimens, including walking, biking, running, and strength training. 'It's getting your heart rate up and then bringing it back down,' Richardson says. When you work out at a high intensity, you increase blood flow to your body's muscles and make your heart beat faster. 'That's where we get health benefits,' she adds. 'The adaptations begin happening at higher levels of intensity.' Over time, interval training leads to increased cardiorespiratory fitness, which means your body can better consume oxygen because your heart and lungs are stronger. And you don't have to spend hours at the gym to achieve it: By adding intensity to your workouts, you get more bang for your buck from a time perspective, says Rashelle Hoffman, a gait and walking expert in the physical therapy department at Creighton University in Omaha. Consider the American College of Sports Medicine's physical activity guidelines: All healthy adults should get moderate intensity aerobic activity for at least 30 minutes five days a week, or vigorous activity for a minimum of 20 minutes three times per week. 'Clearly, you're seeing greater benefits with less time with vigorous activity,' she says. 'We're stressing our body out more, and it's responding more readily to that.' Read More: Backward Walking Is the Best Workout You're Not Doing There's a psychological appeal, too. Interval walking enables you to feel like you're competing against yourself, Richardson says, as you get faster and ratchet up your intensity level. 'I always say that people like numbers,' she says. They give walkers a tangible goal, which can propel their desire to work out. Emily Mendez, who lives in Indianapolis, took up Japanese walking a few years ago because she tends to get bored walking at the same pace. The intervals give her something to focus on, she says, and she likes the sense of achievement she gets from short, powerful spurts of activity. 'It's like an accomplishment when you do the quicker walks,' she says. 'I do those and push myself, and then the slower walks for recovery are like a reward. It makes it more interesting, less boring, and more motivating.' The benefits of Japanese walking In one of the leading studies on interval walking, Shizue Masuki and her colleagues instructed 246 middle-age and older adults to walk at a high intensity for 30 minutes a day, more than four times a week, for five months. No one completed the program—they complained that it was too boring and difficult, says Masuki, a professor at Shinshu University Graduate School of Medicine in Japan. That inspired the researchers to test interval walking instead. This time, the participants actually did it, and the results were impressive. People who followed an interval walking program for five months experienced greater increases in leg strength, thigh muscle strength, and overall physical fitness, as well as a greater reduction in blood pressure, than those who only walked at a moderate pace. Additional research with more than 700 people found that interval walking improves symptoms of lifestyle-related and age-related diseases, such as changes in cognitive function, depression, and sleep quality. Plus, the technique leads to an increase in healthy HDL cholesterol levels, improved triglyceride levels, and reduced abdominal visceral fat. More generally, research suggests that walking—which is lower impact than activities like running—contributes to bone and muscle health, reduces the risk of chronic diseases, and enhances mental wellbeing. It's often an ideal choice for people who are older or overweight, Hoffman says, as well as those newly dipping their toes into an exercise routine. 'The beauty of walking is that most people know how to do it,' she says. 'There's not a learning curve, and you don't really need to have equipment.' What counts as high intensity, anyway? In Masuki's study, participants logged three minutes of walking at 70% of their peak aerobic capacity, or VO2 max—which measures the maximum amount of oxygen your body can utilize during intense exercise—followed by three minutes at 40% of their peak aerobic capacity. While a smartwatch can provide you with this data, there's an easier way to track your intensity. Read More: Why Walking Isn't Enough When It Comes to Exercise Richardson calls it the talk test: When you're working at about 70% of your aerobic capacity, you'll be breathing heavily and able to feel your heart racing, but you'll still be able to carry on a conversation. 'It's a little bit uncomfortable, but you can still talk,' she says. If you were closer to working at 100% of your capacity, on the other hand—an extreme level that experts advise against, since your body can't get enough oxygen to fuel muscles and you'll quickly feel drained—you would not be able to speak. How to start interval walking Ready to give Japanese walking a spin? Experts suggest these tips. Slowly titrate up If three full minutes of high-intensity walking feels daunting, ease in: You could start out by picking up your pace for one minute, followed by a three-minute recovery session, Hoffman suggests. 'You won't see the benefits necessarily at those lower levels, but you'll be training your body,' she says. You don't even have to aim for a 30-minute workout. Since learning about Japanese walking on TikTok a couple months ago, Yvette Hill has been doing it during downtime, like when she's waiting in parking lots to pick up her kids from various activities. Sometimes she ramps up her intensity until she reaches one corner of the lot, then slows down until she reaches the other, tweaking the program to fit her needs. 'If you're busy, this is a great way to fit in exercise,' she says. 'It's so easy and less intimidating than jumping into the gym.' Adopt the right stance When you increase your pace and shift into a high-intensity interval, it's important to pay attention to your posture. 'Get your spine up, get your chest up, and really think about swinging your arms,' Richardson says. That helps engage more of your body, while adding power to your steps. Find a timer system that works for you Many fitness trackers, including the Apple Watch, have a built-in feature that allows you to set up your intervals in advance. That way, your device will alert you when it's time to switch gears, Hoffman says, and you don't have to fiddle with a stopwatch. Read More: Are Walking Pads Worth It? Another option: Time each interval to a favorite song. 'Most songs are about three minutes long,' Richardson says. 'That's a good way of timing your exercise.' Add some accessories If you struggle with balance issues and want to make sure you're safe, experiment with walking poles, Richardson suggests. 'They can give you an extra bit of stability,' she says. 'If someone's a little hesitant—maybe an older or deconditioned person—using a hiking stick or trekking poles can give you an extra set of so-called legs.' Be mindful of different types of terrain One of the reasons walking is so accessible is that you can do it anywhere. That said, high-intensity exercise will feel different depending if you're walking on a treadmill, nature trail, hilly roads, or the beach. 'Your heart rate's going to respond differently to all those different terrains,' Richardson says. Pay attention to what works best for you—you might find, for example, that you love the built-in challenge of walking on the sand or crave quiet moments in the park. Make it even more challenging Like any other fitness program, there are ways to adjust interval walking to fit your needs. You could wear weights on your arms or even carry small dumbbells to get a better upper body workout, Hoffman suggests. Or switch things up and do squats or lunges for one of your high-intensity intervals. 'This idea of intervals could be applied to different targeted areas of your body,' she says. 'It doesn't have to be just walking.' Contact us at letters@
