Walking and hiking

Is walking enough exercise?

For most adults, walking can cover the aerobic part of the guidelines: 150 minutes a week of brisk walking meets the World Health Organization’s recommendation for moderate activity [1]. It doesn’t cover the recommended muscle-strengthening on two days a week, so pairing walking with a few simple strength exercises gives you the full picture.

Read the full answer: Is walking enough exercise?

How brisk is a brisk walk?

A brisk walk is one where you’re breathing faster and feel warmer, and you can still talk in full sentences but couldn’t comfortably sing. This “talk test” is a simple, reliable way to judge moderate intensity [4].

If you like numbers, a cadence of about 100 steps a minute is a good marker of moderate intensity for most adults [3]. You can check it by counting your steps for 15 seconds and multiplying by four.

You don’t need to walk briskly all the time. Easy walks still count as activity; brisk stretches simply do more for your heart and fitness.

How do you build up how far you walk?

Add a little at a time. Most people do well increasing their walking time by five to ten minutes a week, then adding a longer walk once a week, and only then adding hills or a faster pace.

• Walk more often before walking much further. Three short walks a week becoming five is a strong start.
• Use distance markers you know: round the block, to the shops, to the park and back.
• Split it up if that suits you. Two 15-minute walks count as much as one 30-minute walk — the WHO guidelines no longer require activity to happen in blocks of at least ten minutes [1].
• Notice how you recover. If you’re still stiff or tired the next day, hold at the same level for another week.

Daily steps are another way to track progress. In a large analysis of international studies, risk of early death fell as daily steps increased, levelling off at around 6,000–8,000 steps a day for adults over 60 and 8,000–10,000 for younger adults [2]. Gains start well below those numbers, so adding steps from a low base is worthwhile.

How do you start hiking safely?

Start with short, well-marked trails that are close to home, and build up to longer or steeper routes over several outings.

• Plan the route and check its length, height gain and the time it usually takes.
• Check the weather and turn back if it changes.
• Tell someone where you’re going and when you expect to be back.
• Wear shoes or boots with good grip and carry water, a snack and a layer for warmth.
• Take downhills slowly — they are harder on the knees than uphills. Walking poles can help.

If you have a heart or lung condition, or problems with balance, check with a health professional before tackling steep or remote routes.