Japanese walking, made simple.
Sandpiper is a gentle walking plan for iPhone, made for women 40 and up. Three minutes brisk, three minutes easy, at whatever pace is right for you.
Coming soon to the App StoreBrisk, easy, brisk, easy. That's the whole idea.
A plan that fits you
A few questions about how you walk now, and you get four weeks that build slowly and adjust after every walk.
Phone in your pocket
A chime and a voice tell you when to speed up and slow down, even with the screen locked and your music playing.
Rainy-day workouts
Indoor workouts in the same brisk-and-easy pattern. No jumping, no floor work.
Somewhere to walk to
Your walks carry you along real routes, from the Grand Canyon to the Camino, with a postcard at every stop.
What is Japanese walking?
Japanese walking is interval walking: you alternate about 3 minutes of brisk walking with 3 minutes of easy walking, usually five times for a 30-minute walk. It's also called interval walking training. It was developed by researchers at Shinshu University in Japan, who have studied it with middle-aged and older adults since the early 2000s.
How to do it
- Warm up with a few minutes of easy walking.
- Walk briskly for 3 minutes. You can still talk, but you wouldn't want to sing.
- Slow to an easy, chatting pace for 3 minutes and catch your breath.
- Repeat, building up to five rounds, then cool down.
- Aim for about four days a week.
New to walking? Start with shorter brisk parts and fewer rounds. Sandpiper does this for you, and steps it up only when you say a walk felt easy.
Why it's popular after 40
In a study published in Mayo Clinic Proceedings, 246 adults with an average age of 63, most of them women, walked for five months. Those who did interval walking improved their fitness and thigh strength, and lowered their blood pressure, more than those who walked at one steady, moderate pace. It needs no gym and no equipment, it's easy on the joints, and the easy minutes make it doable whether you're 45 or 65.
Source: Nemoto K. et al., “Effects of high-intensity interval walking training on physical fitness and blood pressure in middle-aged and older people,” Mayo Clinic Proceedings, 2007. Read the summary.
Questions
How fast is the brisk part?
Brisk should feel somewhat hard: you can still talk, but you wouldn't want to sing. The easy part is a relaxed, chatting pace.
How many times a week should I walk?
The research programs asked people to walk about four days a week. In Sandpiper you choose 3, 4 or 5 days, and the plan is built around what you can keep up.
Can I do it indoors?
Yes: on a treadmill, or with Sandpiper's indoor workouts, which follow the same brisk-and-easy pattern with no jumping and no floor work.
Is Sandpiper free?
It's free to download, with a Starter walk, streaks and journeys. Premium adds your full adapting plan, every walk type, indoor workouts and spoken cues, with a free week to try it.
Do I need an account?
No. There's no sign-up, and your walks stay on your iPhone. See our privacy policy.
Sandpiper gives general walking guidance, not medical advice. If you have a health condition or haven't been active for a while, check with your doctor before starting.