Walking for wellness
Introduction
Experts advise doing either of these things to get and stay healthy:1
- Do moderate activity for at least 30 minutes a day, 5 days a week or more. Moderate activity is equal to a brisk walk, cycling about 10 to 12 miles per hour (mph), sailing, or shooting hoops. You notice your heart beating faster with this kind of activity.
- Do vigorous activity for at least 20 minutes a day, 3 days a week or more. Vigorous activity is equal to jogging, cycling at least 12 mph, cross-country skiing, or playing a basketball game. You breathe rapidly and your heart beats much faster with this kind of activity.
Being active in several chunks of 10-minutes or more throughout the day can count towards the above recommendations. You can choose to do one or both types of activity.
Walking is one of the easiest ways to increase your physical activity and improve your overall health. Not only does regular walking strengthen your heart, lungs, bones, and muscles, but it also helps your body resist and fight illness. Perhaps the most noticeable benefits of walking are an increase in energy and a positive impact on mood—regular aerobic exercise helps prevent anxiety and depression.2
Key points:
- Have a checkup before beginning an exercise program. Follow the special advice that your health professional gives you for getting a smart start.
- Plan to either walk a certain number of minutes or get a pedometer for counting your daily number of steps.
- Start with reachable, short-term goals, such as increasing your walks by 5 minutes each day. Or, increase your number of steps by 100 if you've recently been inactive or by 2,000 if you're relatively fit. It's easiest to stick to something new when you have early, frequent successes.
- Start each walk with a warm-up, speed up your pace in the middle, and finishing with a slower cooldown at the end.
- To stay motivated, walk with your family, friends, or coworkers. Daily dog walks are also a great way to keep up your walking routine.
- After you've made walking a regular habit, set a longer-term goal for yourself, such as walking briskly for at least 30 minutes a day or for a daily total of 10,000 steps, 5 days a week or more.
What do I need to know about starting a walking program?
Why walk for wellness?
How can I stay motivated with a walking program?
Where to go from here
Return to topic:
| Author: | Shannon Erstad, MBA/MPH | Last Updated: June 22, 2006 |
| Medical Review: | Renée M. Crichlow, MD - Family Medicine Christine Fordyce, MD - Family Practice/Geriatrics | |
 | ||
| |