Accumulating thirty minutes of walking on 5 days of the week is enough activity to elicit many health benefits. Walking is a natural motion that requires little skill or athletic ability and is therefore the ideal exercise for many people. Daily walking can strengthen the heart, help in weight control, build endurance and reduce mental stress. Walking places little physical stress on the joints, making injury less likely than with other activities. Not all adults need to see their health care provider before starting a moderate intensity physical activity program.
Many people make the mistake of trying to do too much too soon.
It is very important to start slowly in order to avoid injury and prevent burnout. The speed and duration of your walking session should depend on your initial degree of fitness. If you are unfit, walking 15 minutes may be a challenge. As you become more conditioned, you can increase the speed and duration of your walk. A warm-up should include a 5 minute slow walk to increase blood flow to exercising muscles.