WalkFit

Brisk walking for 30 minutes per day, totaling 150 minutes per week, is recommended by health authorities to reduce your health risks for heart disease, stroke, diabetes, and other conditions.

While any amount of walking is beneficial, you can amplify the benefits by doubling the recommendation and walking a total of five hours a week, or by picking up the pace. The increased duration or intensity is particularly helpful if weight loss is your goal. Just remember that you'll also need to improve your diet for the best results.

You can build a walking habit by walking at least five days per week and track your progress using a sports watch or a free App like my FitnessPal on your mobile.

Walking Schedule

You will want to walk at an easy pace for a couple of minutes before you speed up, you can do your walking outdoors, indoors, or on a treadmill.

Week 1

Start with a 15-minute walk at an easy pace. Walk five days the first week. You want to build a habit, so consistency is important. Spread out your rest days, such as making day 3 a rest day and day 6 a rest day.

Weekly total goal: 60 to 75 minutes

Week 2

Add five minutes a day so you are walking for 20 minutes, five days a week. Or, you may wish to extend yourself more on some days, followed by a rest day.

Weekly total goal: 80 to 100 minutes

Week 3

Add five minutes a day so you are walking for 25 minutes, five days a week.

Weekly total goal: 100 to 125 minutes

Week 4

Add five minutes a day to walk for 30 minutes, five days a week.

Weekly total goal: 120 to 150 minutes

How Fast Should Beginners Walk?

Walkers should aim for a brisk walking pace to achieve a moderate-intensity walking workout. That is the exercise intensity that is associated with the best health benefits of walking. Moderate intensity is usually associated with walking a mile in 20 minutes or less, at a target heart rate of 64% to 76% of your maximum heart rate.3

What brisk walking feels like:

• Your breathing is heavier than normal.

• You are still able to carry on a full conversation while walking.

• You are not out of breath.

Don't worry if your speed is slower and your heart rate is lower during the initial weeks. Your first goal is to be able to walk for 30 to 60 minutes a day without injury. You will add speed and intensity later. Be consistent in how often and how far you walk before you try to walk faster.

You are likely to discover that using good walking posture and arm motion will result in walking faster.

Intermediate

If you are already in good shape, start at this level. If not, you can continue here after about a month of the "Beginner" program. Aiming for a pace of 3.5 to 4.5 mph (13-17 minutes per mile), walking 3 miles (about 45 minutes), 3-5 times per week. If you find that you can't walk that fast, increase the distance that you walk instead.

Fitness Walking Technique

Proper technique in fitness walking can make your workout more effective and enjoyable while helping to prevent injuries.

• Posture
  Keep your head upright, looking ahead. Your chin should be in a neutral position, not too high or tucked in towards your chest. Your shoulders remain back and relaxed, not hunched over.

• Foot Placement
  Keep feet close to an imaginary line in the center of the pavement in front of you (follow lines on a track).

• Finding Stride Length
  Stand upright with feet slightly apart. Lean forward at the ankles (like a ski jumper). Transfer your weight forward and as you do, put your right foot out in front of you and catch yourself before you fall forward. This is your stride length. You should maintain the same stride length regardless of the type of walk you do (Strolling - 3 mph; Brisk/Fitness walking - 4 mph; Racewalking - 5 mph

• Stride
  Always keep at least one foot on the ground. The heel strikes the ground first, following with rolling onto the ball of your foot, finishing with a strong push off the toes (trailing foot). Focus on quicker rather than longer strides. Avoid slapping the ground with your feet and concentrate on smoothing out the movement.

• Arm Swing
  This makes your walk a total body exercise. You will burn an additional 5-10% calories. Let your arms bend at the elbows and swing them in step with your feet in an arc from your waist to the front of your chest; your hands should reach just below chin level. Your forearms should brush your hips to keep your stride forward.