More than half the body’s muscles are designed for walking, so it’s a low-impact, safe exercise, even for those who are overweight or have arthritis.

You don’t need any training, and you can go at your own pace and on your own time. The only cost is a good pair of comfortable, supportive walking shoes.

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In this article you'll find out how walking improves your health and how much you need to do every day. You'll discover easy ways to fit walking into your daily life, and you’ll also find out how to use a pedometer to track your steps and motivate you to keep going.

How Walking Improves Your Health
Regular walking provides an impressive number of benefits.

Just 30 minutes of brisk walking most days of the week will make you feel better, have more energy, and sleep better.

You don’t have to do it all at once: you can break it up into three sessions of 10 minutes each.

When you walk, you carry your body weight, which helps to keep your bones strong. Walking briskly works your heart, so it helps to keep your blood pressure and cholesterol under control.

Walking can also improve your mental health. It’s a stress reducer. Some people enjoy walking alone because it provides a quiet time to relax and reflect. Others prefer to walk with a buddy or a walking group. They enjoy the social contact, lively conversation, and the chance to get to know friends, neighbours, or fellow workers.

How much walking do you need to do every day? Many experts recommend 10,000 steps a day. It takes roughly 5,000 steps to walk a kilometre. In normal daily activity, most reasonably active people walk between 4,000 and 6,000 steps a day.

If you’re reasonably active, you’ll need to come up with at least another 4,000 steps a day to reach 10,000. That's almost a kilometre, or for somebody walking at a brisk pace, about a 30-minute walk! A pedometer can help you track how many steps you take in a day.

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So, the 10,000-step daily goal roughly equals Canada's Physical Activity Guide recommendations for least 30 to 60 minutes of activity most days of the week.

Easy Ways to Fit Walking into Your Daily Life
At work:

• Make walking part of your travel time by walking to work, getting off the bus a few stops early, or parking at the far end of the parking lot.
• Take the stairs instead of the elevator.
• Hold “walking meetings” to get your creative juices flowing.
• Recharge your batteries and get some fresh air and sunshine by walking during lunch or coffee breaks.
• Be prepared: keep a comfortable pair of walking shoes at work along with an umbrella, jacket, socks, and toiletries.

At home:

• Walk the dog. Your dog needs exercise too and will love you for it.
• Walk to a neighbour’s house to say hello.
• Check out walking paths or nature trails in your community.
• Join a mall-walking club or stroller fitness class.

If you haven’t been active, take the Physical Activity Readiness Questionnaire (PAR-Q) to see if you should check with your doctor first. Walking is safe for most people.

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Get geared up. Dress for the weather. Wear layers of comfortable clothing. Look for shoes that have a cushioned sole, fit snugly around your heel, have wiggle room for your toes, and flex where your foot bends. With weight on your foot, there should be a thumb’s width of room between your longest toe and the end of the shoe.

Warm up and cool down. Begin by walking at a slower pace to get the blood flowing and to warm up your muscles. Then walk at a pace that warms you up a little and makes you breathe a little faster than normal but still allows you to carry on a conversation without gasping for air. Again, at the end of your walk, slow down for the last five minutes. Follow with gentle stretching exercises, especially for your calf muscles, to prevent stiffness and increase flexibility.

Think safety. Walk with other people, or tell someone where you will be walking and when you expect to get back. Walk in well-lit areas and wear reflective or white clothing at night. Don’t wear headphones. Carry identification and a cell phone or coins for a phone call. Take water with you on warm days.

Use tools. Set goals you can achieve, and record your progress on a calendar or chart. (See the links under Learn More at the end of this article.) Some provinces have produced walking programs and booklets to help get people started.

As mentioned above, a pedometer counts how many steps you take in a day. For instance, if you normally average 3,000 steps a day, then you might first try to reach 4,000 or 5,000 steps a day. When you've reached that goal, work up to 7,000 and then eventually to 10,000 steps.

Plan to walk anywhere, any time, in any season. Aim for 30 minutes most days of the week.

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Fit walking into your daily schedule. Use a logbook to help you chart your progress and tools to help you track how many steps you take each day. Join a walking club in your community or participate in a charity walk/run.

Make walking a habit. Do it all at once or slip walking into small bits of available time during the day. At first, it may take a little effort to remember to look for chances to walk. But after a while you won’t even know you’re more active: it will simply be the way you live your life. (A walking buddy can nudge you to walk on days when you’re dragging your feet.)

Want to Go for a Walk?
Lace up those walking shoes, and start walking! The sooner you start, the sooner you’ll feel the difference a little walking can make to your life. Walking can be adapted easily to your fitness level and personal time schedule. The costs are low and the benefits huge. Plan now to pursue at least two or three of the tips in this article. You’ll be glad you did.

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Learn More

Start a Walking Group at Work
Many people find it hard to fit physical activity into their workday, but why not try going for a 10 to 20-minute brisk walk?

Stepping up Your Physical Activity: Walking to Improve Your Health
Visit the Canadian Health Network for tips on starting a walking program.

Stretching Advice for Runners and Walkers
SportMedBC offers photos and instructions for stretching correctly.

Walk this Way Booklet
This booklet gives you advice on making walking part of your life.

Walkability Checklist
How walkable is your community? Use this checklist to assess whether your community makes it easy for people to walk, and read about what you can do to improve things.

Walking Trails
Trails Canada links you to hundreds of trails in Alberta for many uses - from walking to snowshoeing. Other websites can help you find out about trails in Edmonton, Calgary, and Red Deer.