Surrounded, as we are, by all-pervasive images of buff fitness influencers lifting incredulous amounts of weight, chugging creatine and running miles on end, more sedate forms of exercise such as walking or dancing can seem almost quaint in comparison. But, if you dig deeper into the other side of the Internet, you’ll find that a Japanese routine that shakes up this very basic exercise is quickly taking hold, and with good reason too.

Women going through post menopause can retain their lean muscle mass through interval walking

Japanese interval walking is a routine that seems remarkably innocuous at the very outset — the idea is to alternate between three minutes of fast and three minutes of slow walking, for 30 minutes at a time. The idea, it seems, is not a new one — a 2007 study by Japanese researchers found that people who did high-intensity interval walking on four or more days a week over a five-month period increased their peak aerobic capacity, indicating an improvement in physical fitness as compared to those who had undertaken a walking regime of continuous, moderate intensity.