No expensive sports watch: this simple pulse check reveals if your brisk walk is actually protecting your heart

The first time I realised my “daily brisk walk” might not be doing what I thought for my heart, I was standing at a bus stop, slightly out of breath, clutching a shopping bag. I walked that route most days, felt virtuous about it, and ticked “exercise” off in my head. Then a friend casually asked, “What’s your heart rate on those walks?” I looked down at my bare wrist and shrugged. No watch, no tracker, just vibes. For years I had assumed that if I was moving, I was protected.

A few weeks later, a practice nurse did a routine check and raised an eyebrow. “Your resting pulse is fine, but how often are you actually getting it up?” she asked, tapping the side of her pen. “Brisk walking is brilliant, but only if your heart knows it is working.” I went home with a leaflet I barely read and a quiet question that wouldn’t go away: how brisk is brisk, really?

The myth of “I walk loads, so I’m sorted”

There is a comforting story many of us tell ourselves. We walk to the station, nip to the shops, pace around the office, maybe do a weekend loop of the park. We add up the steps in our head and decide that must count as cardio. After all, we are not sitting on the sofa all day. We are on the move. That must be good for the heart, surely.

The awkward truth is that general pottering is brilliant for joints and mood, but your heart needs a clearer signal. To actually strengthen it and lower your risk of heart disease and stroke, you need regular chunks where your pulse climbs into a moderate intensity zone and stays there for a while. Not gasping, not sprinting, just properly challenged.

You do not need a gym membership, a Lycra wardrobe, or a wrist full of LEDs to get there. You do, however, need to stop guessing.

The day I used my fingers instead of a Fitbit

The first time I measured my pulse on a walk, I felt faintly ridiculous. I had just power-marched up a gentle hill near my house, arms pumping, headphones in, trying to look like one of those people who “love their morning movement”. Halfway up, I stopped by a lamppost and did what the leaflet had calmly suggested: I put two fingers on the side of my neck and counted.

The instructions were almost offensively simple. Find the beat. Count for 30 seconds. Double the number. That gives you your beats per minute. I watched the seconds on my phone tick up and tried not to lose track. My pulse thumped under my fingertips, quicker than I expected, but not frantic. By the time I finished counting, a small, clear number sat in my head instead of a vague feeling.

It was the first time my walk had given me anything more concrete than “I feel a bit warm”.

The “can you talk?” test we tend to skip

Before we get to exact numbers, there is an even lazier check, and it is surprisingly reliable. While you are walking, try to say a sentence or two out loud, as if you were chatting to someone beside you. If you can talk in full sentences but would not comfortably sing along to the chorus, you are roughly in moderate-intensity territory. That is the sweet spot most heart guidelines talk about.

If you can sing without effort, you are probably still in gentle-stroll mode. Lovely for your head, less useful for your arteries. If you can barely spit out a few words, you have crept into vigorous exercise, which is fine in short bursts but not what most people need to aim for every single day.

The talk test is charming because you can do it anywhere, with nothing but your breath as feedback. It is also easy to cheat. We tend to overestimate how hard we are working, especially when it is cold and we feel virtuous for being outside at all. That is where the pulse check comes in.

The simple pulse maths that actually matters

Here is what heart experts are usually getting at when they talk about a “brisk” walk that protects your heart. They are thinking in heart-rate zones, not vibes. You do not need to memorise charts, but it helps to know your ballpark.

A rough guide to your maximum heart rate is:

Maximum heart rate ≈ 220 − your age

Moderate intensity usually sits at about 50–70% of that maximum. Vigorous intensity is roughly 70–85%. You are not going to be doing lab-grade calculations at a bus stop, but a sense of the zone helps.

A quick, real-world example:

• You are 50.
• 220 − 50 = 170 (rough max).
• 50–70% of that is roughly 85–120 beats per minute.

So if, mid-walk, you pop two fingers on your pulse, count for 30 seconds and get 55 beats, that is 110 beats per minute. You are right in the middle of the moderate zone. Gold star, no gadget required.

How to check your pulse on a walk without making a scene

The basic method is wonderfully low-tech. You only need your fingers and something that can show you 30 seconds passing.

1. Pick your spot. Halfway through your walk, when you have been moving at a decent pace for at least 5 minutes, stop or slow to a gentle amble.
2. Find your pulse.
   
   • Neck: slide two fingers (not your thumb) to the side of your windpipe, under your jaw, until you feel a steady beat.
     
   • Wrist: turn your palm up, place two fingers at the base of your thumb, and press lightly until you feel the thump.
3. Count for 30 seconds. Use your phone’s clock, a watch face, or even a nearby station display if you are improvising.
4. Double the number. If you counted 48 beats in 30 seconds, your heart rate is about 96 beats per minute.

Do not jab or press too hard. You are measuring, not trying to switch yourself off. If you lose the count, start again next minute. There is no exam.

Turning numbers into reassurance

The first few times you do this, it feels like homework. Then something quiet happens: your walk stops being guesswork. You know, with actual evidence, that your heart is getting the challenge it needs, or you learn that you have been undershooting and can nudge your pace.

If your pulse sits comfortably in that moderate zone and you can still talk in sentences, your “brisk walk” is doing its job. It is improving circulation, nudging up good cholesterol, helping blood vessels stay flexible, and lowering long-term risk of heart disease and type 2 diabetes. You have turned everyday movement into actual heart training.

If, on the other hand, you discover that your pulse barely budges from its resting level, it is not a failure. It is information. You may need to lengthen your route a little, add a hill, or simply pick up the pace until you feel that mild, chatty puff of effort.

How often does this need to happen?

Most guidelines land in a similar place: aim for at least 150 minutes of moderate-intensity activity a week, spread over most days. Translated into human terms, that might be:

• 30 minutes of proper brisk walking, five days a week, or
  
• Three 10-minute brisk chunks scattered through your day, repeated.

Your simple pulse check is not there to stress you. It is there to quietly confirm that those 30 minutes are not just pleasant pottering, but genuine heart work.

When your heart says “too much, too fast”

There is a flip side to all this enthusiasm. If you have heart or lung issues, are on certain medications, or simply feel odd when you push the pace, checking your pulse can be a safety net as much as a reassurance.

If, during or after a walk, you notice any of these, do not shrug them off:

• Chest pain or tightness
  
• Unusual breathlessness that does not settle when you slow down
  
• Dizziness, faintness, or your heart racing erratically
  
• Pain in your jaw, neck, or arm that feels wrong

Those are not “I am unfit” signals; they are “speak to a doctor” signals. A quick check-in with a GP or practice nurse can help you figure out what level of exercise is right for you and whether there is anything else that needs looking at. Pulse checking does not replace proper medical advice; it just gives you a clearer language to describe what you feel.

Making a tiny ritual out of it

Pulse-check walks do not have to become a sport. They can be folded into the life you already have, like squeezing in a phone call or picking up milk on the way home. The habit can look as small as this:

• First 5 minutes: ease into your walk, loosen shoulders, find your stride.
  
• Next 10–15 minutes: pick up the pace until talking feels a bit effortful.
  
• Quick pause: check your pulse, do the simple maths.
  
• Final stretch: keep that effort, or gently cruise home.

Some people like to keep a tiny note on their phone: date, rough route, and the pulse they found. Not as a fitness diary, just a quiet record that their heart is getting regular practice at being strong. Over weeks, you might notice the same route feels easier at the same heart rate, or you need a slightly quicker pace to reach your zone. That is your cardiovascular fitness improving, without a single graph.

You do not need anyone at the park to know you are doing any of this. To the outside world, you are simply out for a walk.

Little beats, big difference

There is something quietly satisfying about using two fingers and half a minute to answer a question billion-pound gadget companies are constantly trying to monetise. Is this walk helping my heart, or am I just moving around? With a basic bit of pulse maths, you know.

Not having a sports watch does not make you lazy or behind; it just means you are living without extra straps and screens. You are going to work, walking the dog, doing the school run, roaming the supermarket aisles. Your heart is there for all of it, whether or not a device is scoring your effort.

The next time you tell yourself you have “done your steps” for the day, pause for thirty seconds and let your fingers double-check the story. No app, no subscription, no medal. Just a small, stubbornly simple habit that can tilt your walks from “nice” to “protective” while you get on with the rest of your life.

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Quick reference: pulse-based briskness guide

Step	What you do	What it tells you
Talk test	Walk and try to chat in full sentences	If you can talk but not sing, you are roughly in the right zone
30-second count	Find your pulse, count beats for 30 seconds, double it	Gives you your working heart rate in beats per minute
Compare	Roughly 50–70% of (220 − your age)	Confirms whether your walk is truly “brisk” for your heart

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FAQ:

• Do I really need to do the maths every time? No. Use it for a week or two to learn what the right effort feels like. Once you recognise that level of puff and pace, you can use the pulse check occasionally as a spot-check.
  
• What if my heart rate is higher than the “zone” when I walk? If you feel well, it may just mean your baseline fitness is lower and the same effort costs more. Slow down slightly and speak to your GP or nurse before pushing harder, especially if you have any medical conditions.
  
• Is a slow resting pulse always better? A lower resting heart rate can indicate good fitness, but very low or very high resting pulses, especially with symptoms like dizziness or fatigue, should be discussed with a doctor.
  
• Can I just rely on a step count instead? Steps are helpful for limiting long periods of sitting, but they do not guarantee your heart is working hard enough. A short burst of properly brisk walking gives more cardiovascular benefit than the same time spent ambling.