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No thanksWhat is Brisk Walking?
How can you know you are walking at a "brisk" walking pace? You will know you are walking briskly when you reach your target heart rate and that varies depending on your age, weight, and current level of fitness.
Here are a couple ways to determine if you are walking at a "brisk" pace:
Target Heart Rate: Your "target heart rate" is defined as 60 to 85% of your maximum heart rate, based on age. Your maximum heart rate is defined as 220 minus your age.
So, for a 35 year old, you would have a maximum heart rate of 220 - 35, which is 185 beats per minute. That's your maximum. Your "target" heart rate would be in the range of 60 to 85% of that. So, 60% of 185 is 111 and 85% of 185 is 157. Thus, the target heart rate for a 35 year old ranges from 111 to 157 beats per minute. Which means a 35 year old should aim to reach and sustain 111 to 157 beats/minute while walking.
Here's the formula to calculate your own target heart rate range:
220 minus your age = maximum heart rate (MHR)
MHR times 60% = low end of target heart rate range
MHR times 85% = high end of target heart rate range
You can monitor your heart rate by buying a heart rate monitor or a simple and free way of doing it is to take your own pulse.
Talk Test:You can also determine if you are walking briskly simply by doing the "talk test". For a brisk pace, you should be able to talk but not able to sing. If you cannot talk, slow down a bit. If you can sing, walk a bit faster or add in some hills.
