Walk This Way: Why Striding Like a Man on Fire Might Just Save Your Life
Walk Like You’re Late for a Flight: The Health Trend That’s Just… Walking, But Angry
Forget fancy gadgets, magic weight-loss jabs or Kyle from your fitness app yelling into your living room. The secret to better health might just be stomping around like you’re chasing down someone who owes you money.
Until recently, I assumed my obsession with walking was just a socially acceptable form of madness. Like people who knit in public or pay real money to watch Coldplay. But here we are in 2025, and the world has finally caught up with my daily routine of stomping around cities like I’m being chased by a swarm of hornets wearing Fitbits.
Yes, I’m one of those people. The kind who hurtles off a plane while everyone else is still opening the overhead locker like they’re defusing a bomb. I march through airports with the urgency of a man trying to catch a train he’s already on. Not bad for someone with only one lung that functions properly, I might add. If I were any quicker, Ryanair would start charging me landing fees.
Most days, I clock up 15,000 to 20,000 steps. Rain, shine or post-sourdough coma. Walking helps my head, shrinks my waist and justifies that morning croissant the size of a garden shed. It also means I can guiltlessly inhale the occasional almond pain au chocolat while eavesdropping on strangers… because let’s face it, no one tells you more about the decline of civilisation than two teens in a coffee shop arguing over vape flavours.
So imagine my glee when I discovered that ‘’Japanese Walking’ is now a thing. Apparently, it’s the latest trend to take the internet by storm. Which, let’s be honest, is what we used to call “walking slightly faster and then slightly slower again” before someone with a PhD and no friends got involved.
The method was developed by two very clever professors in Japan, Hiroshi Nose and Shizue Masuki; who’ve essentially invented interval walking. - Yes I may have spelt their names wrong!! You walk like you’re late for a job interview for three minutes, then slow down to a pace more suitable for gossiping pensioners. Then repeat. For thirty minutes. Four times a week. That’s it. Simple…
No dumbbells. No Lycra. No subscription to a digital personal trainer named Kyle who keeps shouting “You got this!” while you sweat onto your living room carpet. Just legs, lungs and a bit of forward motion. Who knew?
This method, they claim lowers your blood pressure, trims your waist and builds leg strength. It even fends off the sort of muscle decline that turns once-sprightly pensioners into Zimmer-frame-racing champions by the time they hit 70.
Now here’s the surprise… it actually works. See, that surprised you… A study showed that people doing Japanese walking lost more weight and gained more fitness than those simply trudging to the shops and back. All this; without needing to remortgage your house for a Peloton or inject your armpit fat with some miracle jab that gives you the digestive system of a hummingbird.
Naturally, 22% of people dropped out of the study, which is still fewer than the number who quit their New Year’s gym memberships before Valentine’s Day. But for the rest, the results were impressive. As impressive as managing to walk through M&S without buying underwear.
Of course, I didn’t need a scientific study to tell me walking is good for you. I’ve been treating it like religion for years. Not just for the exercise. It’s how I’ve lost weight, kept sane and become a street photography ninja. When you’re walking through town at Formula One speeds, you spot the best faces, the quirkiest characters and the most unexpected moments. It’s cardio with a side of character study.
More importantly, walking gives you time. Time to think, breathe, decompress. Time to wonder why on Earth your espresso machine has started smelling like burnt plastic. Time to realise that you don’t need a smartwatch to tell you you’re alive; you just need a half-decent pair of shoes and the willpower to get off the sofa. Plus if you’re called John, it can’t be too windy either…
So yes, ‘’Japanese Walking’ may be trending, but I’ll let you in on a secret; it’s just old-school walking with a fancy name and a stopwatch. The truth is, you don’t need a trend. You need a habit.
Get out. Walk fast. Walk slow. Walk like you’re being followed by a persistent ex. Do it often enough and your body will thank you. Your brain will too. Maybe even your trousers.
In a world obsessed with shortcuts, it turns out the best thing you can do… is take the long way round.
Now, lace up, step out, and for goodness’ sake, walk like you mean it.
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Chris Geiger, Author of The Cancer Survivors Club.
Daily Dose of Disbelief!
Bsky: @chrisgeiger.com
Bsky: @thecancersurvivorsclub.com
Bsky: @dailydoseofdisbelief.com
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