The 6-6-6 Walking TikTok Trend May Help With Weight Loss—But Only If You Do It This Way

Yahoo

4 days ago

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There's no shortage of TikTok fitness challenges involving numbers that people have been loving lately—the 3-2-1 method, the 12-3-30 workout, the 25-7-2 Stairmaster workout—you get the idea. The latest one encourages you to schedule your hot girl walk at a specific time of the day, for a specific duration, mainly in the name of weight loss. Introducing: the 6-6-6 walking challenge.
While it's unclear who exactly started the trend on TikTok, the 6-6-6 walking challenge involves walking for 60 minutes a day, either at 6 a.m. or 6 p.m., starting with a six-minute warm-up and ending with six-minute cool-down. While it's mainly promoted for its weight loss perks, it can also improve bone, heart, and brain health, according to trainers.
Meet the experts: Lindsey Bomgren, CPT, is the founder of Nourish, Move, Love. Janet Hamilton, CSCS, is the owner of Running Strong.
There's a few reasons why this challenge has gained traction: 'People really like and gravitate toward these 'number-specific' challenges, like the 3-2-8 pilates challenge,' says Lindsey Bomgren, CPT, founder of Nourish, Move, Love. 'It takes the guesswork out and provides a really clear, easy-to-follow framework.' Plus, lower-intensity workouts are becoming popular because they're accessible for all fitness levels, while still helping you reap the above benefits.
But is the 6-6-6 walking challenge actually worth a try? Ahead, find out how the trend works, and the potential benefits, according to trainers.
The 6-6-6 Walking Trend, Broken Down
When you look at the specifics of the trend—a six-minute warm-up followed by 60 minutes of walking at 6 a.m. or 6 p.m. followed by a six-minute cool-down—you might wonder about the significance of these numbers. Can I walk at any time of day? Why am I walking for an hour? Will a shorter warm-up and cool-down suffice if I have limited time? These are all valid questions—but as it turns out, there may be some science behind these numbers.
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Duration
A person of average cardiovascular fitness walking at three to 3.5 miles per hour would typically get 6,000 to 7,000 steps (or cover 2.5 or three miles), steps in about an hour, Bomgren says. A 2021 study in JAMA Network Open looked at 2,110 adults ages 38 to 50 and monitored their steps using fitness trackers over 10 years. Those who took at least 7,000 steps each day had a 50 to 70 percent lower risk of mortality than those who took less than 7,000 steps. So, if you can take 6,000 to 7,00 steps in an hour, '60 minutes is significant enough to have a real impact on daily health if this becomes a realistic habit,' she adds.
Timing
And the timing might be effective for those who eat breakfast or dinner before 6 a.m. or 6 p.m., respectively, Bomgren adds. 'Walking after eating a meal helps regulate blood sugar, aids in digestion, and supports long-term heart health,' she says.
But don't fret if you can't eat or exercise specifically at these times. 'The challenge is meant to encourage habit formation and having a specific time of day (i.e. 6 a.m. or 6 p.m.) that signals it's time for movement,' Bomgren says. 'But ultimately, I don't think the time of day you work out matters—it's just about consistently showing up.'
The Workout
While the challenge doesn't specify exactly how to walk—like whether you need to walk at a certain speed, play with intervals, or approach inclines or hills—you certainly can add those variables into your workout to make it more interesting.
'If you can increase speed, even for an interval, or incline, like walking up and down hills, it's a great way to avoid plateaus and continue to challenge your body in new ways,' says Bomgren. Making your walks more intense will also help you burn more calories and may help you lose weight, says Janet Hamilton, CSCS, the owner of Running Strong.
Pro tip: Just make sure this workout feels doable for you so you don't get any overuse injuries, says Hamilton. For instance, if you think you'd struggle to maintain a brisk walking pace or aren't used to walking up hills, build slowly toward these goals to avoid discomfort or injury. 'Walking at the same pace on a flat road is great for beginners or anyone with underlying injuries,' Bomgren adds.
The Warm-Up And Cool-Down
When it comes to a six-minute warm-up and cool-down, both Bomgren and Hamilton speculate this amount of time simply reinforces consistency and habit formation. However, warm-ups and cool-downs are vital and should always be included in workouts, says Hamilton.
Warm-up exercises help you ease into your workouts, raising the temperature of your muscles so they can be at their most flexible and efficient, per the American Heart Association (AHA). Cool-down exercises are essential for helping your heart rate and body temperature return to their normal states, according to the AHA. The AHA suggests warming up and cooling down for five to 10 minutes, so six minutes is right in line with those recommendations, which Hamilton supports as well.
So, if you plan on walking about four miles per hour for 60 minutes, you might start your warm-up at a rate of perceived exertion (RPE), or how much effort you're putting into a workout, of 3 (out of 10), gradually increasing to a 5, Bomgren says. Then, for the cool-down, you can simply slow your pace back to an RPE of 2 to 3 so your heart rate gradually decreases, she says.
Potential Benefits Of The 6-6-6 Walking Trend
1. It may help you lose weight.
Doing the 6-6-6 walking challenge can potentially contribute to weight loss because adding any physical activity to your day will help you burn more calories. But to lose weight, you generally need to be in a calorie deficit, or burn more calories than you take in.
So, if you add this workout to your routine and make changes in the kitchen, you're more likely to see results. 'You might start to see your body weight reduce gradually over time,' says Hamilton. However, there are a lot of elements that go into successful weight management, like activity level, diet, age, sex, and genetics, says Hamilton.
Plus, the research is inconclusive about whether 6 a.m. and 6 p.m. are the best times to work out for weight loss. A 2023 study in Obesity analyzed the self-reported workout patterns of more than 5,000 people over three years. Those who regularly exercised at a moderate-to-vigorous intensity between 7 a.m. and 9 a.m. had lower BMIs and smaller waist circumferences than those who regularly exercised in the afternoons or evenings. (Moderate-intensity exercise means you can talk during your walk, but can't belt out your favorite Olivia Rodrigo tune, while vigorous-intensity exercise means your walking pace is so quick that you can't get more than a few words out without stopping to take a breath, per the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.)
However, this study was observational, which means it's showing correlation—not causation. In other words, it found a connection between walking at these times and having a lower BMI and smaller waist. But this doesn't mean that just because you walk between 7 a.m. and 9 a.m. that you're guaranteed to have these results.
2. It can strengthen bones.
Walking increases bone density, which is a measure of the calcium and other minerals in your bones, and it's an indicator of their strength and overall health, per the National Library of Medicine (NLM). As you age, it's common to lose bone mass, per the NLM, which may put you at risk for conditions like osteoporosis and bone fractures. However, walking is a weight-bearing exercise, which means it puts stress on your bones and strengthens them, according to Harvard Health Publishing.
Research backs this up: A 2022 study in PLOS One looked at the effects of brisk walking (at three miles per hour for 20 minutes per mile) on the bone mineral density of just over 200 healthy premenopausal women over two years. Those who walked briskly for 30 minutes each day at least three times a week significantly improved their bone density.
3. It might boost heart health.
Because walking is a form of aerobic exercise, doing the 6-6-6 walking challenge can 'improve circulation, strengthen your heart, and lower blood pressure,' Bomgren says.
Getting your daily steps in can also reduce your risk of early death from heart disease. A 2020 study in JAMA looked at the effects of walking and mortality in adults ages 40 and above over 10 years. It found that a greater number of steps—around 8,000—was associated with lower mortality. Additionally, a 2023 study in the Journal of Cardiovascular Development and Disease found that 21 sedentary older adults with hypertension lowered their blood pressure by walking 3,000 steps per day five days a week for 20 weeks.
4. It may improve insulin resistance.
Insulin resistance is a condition where your body doesn't respond properly to insulin, a hormone that helps regulate blood sugar, according to the National Institutes of Health (NIH). Insulin resistance can lead to too much sugar in your blood, which can cause type 2 diabetes.Mach 6
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However, physical activity, like walking, helps your body become more responsive to insulin, meaning it can absorb blood sugar and use it for energy versus letting it accumulate. A 2024 meta-analysis in the British Journal of Sports Medicine analyzed multiple studies about walking speed and the risk of type 2 diabetes. It found that walking faster than four miles per hour can reduce your risk of type 2 diabetes by almost 40 percent over an average follow-up period of three to 11.1 years.
5. It can enhance brain function and mental health.
A small 2022 study in the Journal of Personalized Medicine looked at a group of healthy young adults ages 20 to 25 and how exercise intensity affected blood flow to the brain. It found that low to moderate intensity walking, determined by cardiac force meters, improved blood flow to the brain, which can improve cognitive function.
Not to mention, this activity betters your mental health, too. A 2024 review in JAMA Network Open of studies on depression and walking found that taking 5,000 steps or more each day was associated with fewer depressive symptoms. And a 2022 review in Applied Psychology: Health and Well-Being of literature on physical activity in natural versus urban environments found that walking in nature significantly reduced anxiety and depression compared to urban settings. Plus, walking in natural settings increased feelings of calmness and tranquility.
Whether you're trying the 6-6-6 challenge or not, you can still reap the benefits of walking by doing it at any time of day for any duration—and if you are trying the challenge, don't beat yourself up if there are days you can't stick to these exact numbers. 'Life and training have to co-exist,' Hamilton says. 'Put the walk in where it works for you. If you make it work with your schedule, you're much more likely to continue the habit long-term and reap the rewards of your time invested.'
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