Studies show that exercise intensity has a lot to do with the health benefits of walking. Intensity describes how much effort you put into walking – the more effort you use, the more calories you burn and the more fit you become. To get the most health benefits, you should walk at a moderate or brisk pace.

But how do you know if you are walking at moderate intensity?

A new study reports moderate intensity is about 100 steps per minute or 3,000 steps in 30 minutes.

Researchers at San Diego State University measured the amount of energy participants expended while they walked on treadmills at different speeds – from 2.4 to 4.1 miles per hour. The subjects also wore pedometers to count their steps. They found that the participants’ moderate intensity ranged from 92 to 102 steps for men and 91 to 115 steps for women.

You can calculate the number of steps you walk per minute by using your pedometer. Note the number of steps on your pedometer, walk exactly one minute (use a watch with a second hand to track the seconds) and then check your pedometer again. Calculate the number of steps walked by subtracting the starting number from the ending number.

If you walked about 100 steps per minute, terrific! If your total was less, then gradually pick up the pace until you reach the target. If you do a pace of 60 steps per minute for at least 10 minutes, your pedometer will start counting your aerobic steps (they are part of your total step count).

Here are two other ways for you to measure your intensity:

The Effort Scale of 1-10 allows you to “rate” how hard the exercise feels to you when you are doing it. You should aim for a rating of 5-7.

• “1″ – at rest, sitting or lying down
• “2″ – very light effort, like stretching or brushing your teeth
• “3-4″ – fairly light effort, when your muscles start to feel warm but you are not likely to get tired for at least 30 minutes
• “5-7″ – hard to heavy effort, when you are sweating and doing something you couldn’t do for very long
• “8-9″ – very to extremely hard effort, so strenuous that you could not do for more than 2 minutes without stopping
• “10″ – highest effort, the hardest thing you ever did, like running as if you were being chased!

The Talk Testis another way to rate your intensity. You should aim for Moderate to Hard Effort.

• Very light effort – you can carry on a conversation and talk in sentences
• Moderate effort – you can talk, but not in full sentences
• Hard effort – you can talk, but would rather not
• Very, very hard effort – you cannot say a word