WHAT IS JAPANESE WALKING?

Today is Labor Day in the USA, a national holiday.  Other countries, too, have a day off, from Google AI Overview.

• Uzbekistan: Celebrates Independence Day.
• Iran: Observes the Martyrdom of Imam Hasan Askari.
• Kazakhstan: Celebrates Constitution Day (in lieu).
• Vietnam: Has its National Day Holiday.
• Eritrea: Observes Eritrea Revolution Day.
• Guyana: Has a Public Holiday.
• Slovakia: Observes Constitution Day.

Labor Day 

• The United States, Canada, and Bermuda all have Labor Day, which falls on the first Monday of September. It celebrates the achievements of workers and the broader labor movement.

What to do on Labor Day has changed.  For example:

Labor Day is officially here, which means the NBC Select team has found tons of deals up to 70% off on AirPods, sneakers and more. Plus, Amazon’s Labor Day sale has discounts up to 50% off on brands like Apple, Shark and more.

A month ago I posted on whether you should walk 10,000 steps/day.  

• I indicated that the latest studies indicated that 7,000 steps/day, or around 3.5 miles/day, was good enough.
• For the more elderly, 6,000 steps/day was fine.
• Of particular noteworthiness, many of the early studies emanated from Japan.

More recently I read that Japanese Walking was a fast way to boost your health.  From Every Day Health:

• ‘Japanese walking,’ also called interval walking, involves alternating between fast and slow paces. 
• This name originated from a 2007 study by Japanese researchers that suggested this workout can lower blood pressure and strengthen leg muscles. 
• Japanese walking has gained popularity on TikTok.

One content creator, @coacheugeneteo, says the walking technique offers “10 times the benefits in just 30 minutes” compared with a target of 10,000 steps a day. In another video, the medical doctor @dramyshah calls it a “game-changer” and says it can decrease disease and boost mood.

So what exactly is Japanese Walking?

• Japanese people don't walk this way.
• Also called interval walking training, this concept originated in Japan in 2007 in a study led by Drs. Hiroshi Nose and Shizue Masuki.

• Walk 4 days/week for 30 minutes, alternating 3 minutes each of fast, then slow walking.
• Check first with our doctor.
• Don't do this with heart, lung or balancing difficulties.
• Start by walking slower and build up the pace over time.

• 
  Drink plenty of water.
• Listen to your body and stop walking if there is any kind of problem.
• Not sure what this means, but:  fast walking means moving at about 70 percent of your maximum effort, whereas slow walking is 40 percent effort.

• 
  Requires no equipment.
• Reduces the monotony of steady walking.
• Supposedly lowers blood pressure and cholesterol level, strengthens leg muscles, improves sleep quality and cognitive function and boosts aerobic health, compared to those who only walked longer at a moderate pace.

• 
  This exercise may lower the risk of irregular heartbeat.
• Should help lose weight.
• Best to walk with someone else.
• Another way of looking at fast walking is that you are still able to comfortably have a conversation with somebody walking with you.
• Useful for people who are short of time, for this is a more efficient exercise.
• 
  While 30 minutes are recommended, here is a video for 25 minutes of Japanese interval walking at home.  
• Essentially, you walk in place.
• This is not the standard Japanese Walk, so you can adjust as necessary.

• 
  Good for me, as I won't need to go outdoors and face muggers, homeless people, ravenous dogs, uneven sidewalks, cars and the like.  Plus, I just pull a cord if something serious happens.  I live in a senior's apartment with a clinic in the basement.
• Here is a more traditional video of Japanese Walking.

Finally, up to 18 states could well see those northern lights tonight.  NOAA says that a symmetric full-halo Coronal Mass Ejection from the sun will cause a geometric storm, resulting in an aurora borealis.

Tonight:

Tomorrow night:

The brightness and location of the aurora is typically shown as a green oval centered on Earth’s magnetic pole.  The green ovals turn red when the aurora is forecast to be more intense.  Aurora can often be observed somewhere on Earth from just after sunset or just before sunrise. The aurora is not visible during daylight hours.  The aurora does not need to be directly overhead but can be observed from as much as 1000 km away when the aurora is bright and if conditions are right.

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