Fitness: Walking for wellness

Walking is one of the easiest ways to get the exercise you need to stay healthy.

Experts recommend at least 2½ hours of moderate activity (such as brisk walking, brisk cycling, or yard work) a week.¹ It's fine to walk in spurts of 10 minutes or more throughout your day and week.

Key points

• Before you start, talk with your doctor to make sure it's okay for you to begin a walking program.
• Start with a short-term goal. For example, walk for 5 or 10 minutes every day. Or increase your number of steps by 300 to 500 each day.
• After you've made walking a habit, set a longer-term goal. You may want to set a goal of walking briskly for at least 30 minutes a day or work up to 10,000 steps a day. You can try to do this 5 days a week or more.
• You can wear a pedometer to track your steps each day.
• To stay motivated, find a walking partner, such as a family member, friend, or coworker. Daily dog walks are also a great way to keep up your walking routine.

 What do you need to know to start a walking program?

 Why walk for wellness?

 How can you make a walking program part of your life?

 Where to go from here

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