Walking can help boost your energy levels, strengthen your legs, and control your weight and blood pressure. At the right intensity, it can also improve the health of your heart and lungs. A normal, healthy heart rate during walking varies depending on your walking speed, fitness level and age. A few simple calculations can help you determine what your heart rate should be after five minutes of walking.
Target and Maximum Heart Rates
Target heart rate is the heart rate you should aim to reach for a particular exercise intensity level. Each target rate is a percentage of your maximum heart rate. To estimate your maximum heart rate, subtract your age from 220, suggest experts from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. For example, if you're 40, your maximum heart rate is about 180 beats per minute.
Moderate Walking
A moderate walking speed is less than 3 mph, or 20 minutes per mile. For health benefits, moderate walking should raise your heart rate to between 50 to 60 percent of your maximum heart rate. For example, if your maximum is 180 bpm, you can find 50 percent of your maximum with the formula 180 x .5 = 90 bpm. Five minutes of walking at this intensity is ideal for warm ups before more intense exercise and cool downs afterward. This intensity is also appropriate for longer workouts if you're new to exercising or you're recovering from overtraining.
Brisk Walking
To burn fat while walking, walk briskly enough to raise your heart rate to between 60 to 70 percent of your maximum. For cardiovascular benefits, aim for 70 to 80 percent of your maximum. Depending on your current fitness level, reaching these target heart rates may require walking at 3.5 to 4.5 mph, or 17 to 13 minutes per mile. To realize fat burning and cardiovascular benefits, you should maintain your target heart rate for at least 10 minutes at a time, in addition to a five-minute warm up.
Elevated Heart Rate
Dehydration can dramatically increase your heart rate, so stay well hydrated while walking. Heat and high altitude can also raise your heart rate until you adapt to the conditions. If walking causes chest pain or pressure, heart palpitations, dizziness or breathlessness, this may be a sign of overexertion or a health problem such as coronary artery disease. If you experience any of these symptoms, slow your pace or stop until the symptoms pass. Consult a health care provider about the cause of your symptoms. For safety reasons, never let your heart rate surpass 90 percent of your maximum heart rate unless you've checked with your health care provide first.
References
- Centers for Disease Control and Prevention: Target Heart Rate and Estimated Maximum Heart Rate
- University of California at Berkeley: Tang Center: Exercise: Starting a Walking Program
- Folsom Lake College; Heart Rate Calculations; Jamie Wilson
- Texas A and M University Agricultural Research and Extension Center: Smart Choices: Walking
- Purdue University North Central; Wellness Department - Target Heart Rate Zone Training; Kendra Gardin
- Aetna InteliHealth Inc.: Health A to Z: Tachycardia
