The First Steps With Walking
Walking: the few things that matter most, and the mistakes that catch people out early.
The most accessible form of moderate activity, requiring no equipment, venue or skill.
Key takeaways
- Weekly guideline: 150 minutes of moderate activity; brisk walking counts
- Brisk pace test: able to talk but not sing
- Most useful single change: Take your current daily average and add a little, rather than chasing ten thousand steps.
- Commonest mistake: Treating 10,000 steps as a pass mark you have failed.
- See a doctor if any of the signs under "When to speak to a doctor" below apply to you.
Why bother
The biggest health gains from activity go to people moving from doing very little to doing some, which makes walking the most valuable first step for the least active.
Start here
Just these two to begin with. The rest can wait.
- Take your current daily average and add a little, rather than chasing ten thousand steps
- Make some of the walking brisk rather than all of it leisurely
Then add these
Once the basics are in place, add these.
- Walk part of a commute or errand you already make
- Use a lower target if you are older or returning from illness
The numbers, in one place
| Measure | Figure |
|---|---|
| Weekly guideline | 150 minutes of moderate activity; brisk walking counts |
| Brisk pace test | able to talk but not sing |
| Where benefit rises most steeply | moving from inactive to somewhat active |
| Minimum bout length | none; short walks add up |
| The 10,000-step figure | a popular target, not a guideline threshold |
Common early mistakes
- Treating 10,000 steps as a pass mark you have failed
- Assuming walking replaces muscle-strengthening activity
- Trusting small differences between fitness trackers
Related topics
- What the Guidance Really Says About Sitting at Work (Workplace Health)
- Exercise with a Long-Term Condition: Sorting the Evidence From the Noise (Long-Term Conditions)
- What the Guidance Really Says About Osteoarthritis (Bone and Joint)
- Strength and Balance in Later Life: What Published Guidance Supports (Healthy Aging)
Where to go next
- What Walking Is, and Why It Matters
- Walking: A Practical Checklist
- Walking — the reference entry
- Fitness: The Complete Guide
- What the Guidance Really Says About Warming Up and Cooling Down
- Exercise Recovery: What the Evidence Actually Says
When to speak to a doctor
See your doctor if walking brings on calf pain that forces you to stop, unusual shortness of breath or dizziness, or if you notice new swelling in one leg. Call 911 for chest pain or pressure, fainting, or sudden severe shortness of breath.
Where this comes from
How this page was put together
Every figure, recommendation and warning above is taken from the guidance named in Where this comes from. Nothing on this page is inferred, summarized or generalized beyond what those bodies publish: where they give a number, it is their number, and where they are silent, so are we. Pages are rebuilt whenever the underlying record changes. Sign-off by a named clinician, where it has happened, is shown at the top of the page along with the date.
Medical disclaimer
This article is general information, not medical advice. It cannot account for your own history, medication or circumstances. Always speak to your doctor, pharmacist or another qualified health professional before making changes that affect your treatment, and never delay seeking medical advice because of something you have read here. In an emergency, call 911.
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