Walking Plan

Try this plan to put walking into your life. If you can only walk for a couple of minutes to begin with before you need to rest that's OK. Don't overdo it on your first day. Where you have to start isn't important - it's where you're going that counts!

Starting off
Week 1  Two walk of ten minutes on three days per week
Weeks 2 and 3  Two walks of 12 minutes on four days per week
Week 4  Two walks of 15 minutes on four days per week

Getting going
Weeks 5 - 9  Two walks of 15 minutes per day on four days a week.  Try to increase your pace slightly or include a route which has some inclines or low hills. Aim to go walking on 5 days per week.

Staying with it
Week 10 onwards  Aim for a brisk pace and challenge yourself with steeper inclines or hills. Experts say that 'brisk walking' means doing a mile in 15-17 minutes, anything less is a stroll.

Picking up the pace
Start every walk slowly and gradually increase your pace. After about 5 minutes, start to walk a little faster.  At the end of the walk gradually slow down your pace. A cool down period is a great time to do stretches to improve your flexibility.

How should I feel?
Listen to your body when you walk - if you feel dizzy or develop pain or nausea, slow down or stop. If the problem persists, see your doctor before walking again.

Remember - your aim is to improve steadily, rather than walking further or faster than someone else.