Your walking plan

If you can only walk for a couple of minutes to begin with and then 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 walks of 10 minutes on three days per week
Weeks 2 and 3:  two walks of 12 minutes on four days per week
Week 4:  two week 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 five 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 five 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 steadily improve, rather than walking further or faster than someone else.

Brisk walking means walking so that you:

• Breathe a little faster
• Feel warmer
• Have a slightly faster heart beat