Walking is the easiest way to get the 30 minutes of exercise I need for my health
Eoin Cameron is best known for his work in radio, presenting 720 ABC’s breakfast radio programme. As a regular walker, Eoin became a be active wa Ambassador after experiencing the health benefits increased walking made to his waist line!
Here’s a four-week walking programme which has been written for those just starting out.
Use the Activity Planner to track your progress and to keep you motivated.
| Day 1 | Day 2 |
| Walk 1 km | Walk 2 km |
| Day 1 - you're off! Walking is essential to human health - it helps burn calories, uses oxygen and increases enzyme activity - all good things! |
Double the distance. To be doing your body good, you need to be walking briskly enough to get nice and warm. If you're walking with a friend, you should still be able to have a conversation without too much difficulty. |
| Day 3 | Day 4 |
| Rest | Walk 2 km |
| Do a few stretches for the muscles (or maybe get a yoga book or tape from the library). |
Good, rhythmic inhalation and exhalation improves oxygen uptake and transport around the body, leaving you feeling energised. |
| Day 5 | Day 6 |
| Rest | Walk 2.5 km |
| A day of rest, but you could still do some energetic housework, like vacuuming or window washing. | Make sure you drink plenty of water all day - up to eight glasses. |
| Day 7 | Day 8 |
| Rest | Walk 2 km |
| End of Week 1, and you should be feeling reasonably good. Treat yourself - meet a friend for a coffee! |
Make sure you start off slow and build up the pace. Warm muscles mean less likelihood of pulled muscles! |
| Day 9 | Day 10 |
| Walk 3 km | Rest |
| Double your motivation - walk with a friend. The fun should be in the journey, not the destination! |
Keep up those fluids and do some gentle stretching. |
| Day 11 | Day 12 |
| Walk 3 km | Walk 1 km |
| The earlier you do your walk, the more likely it is to get done - so set the alarm half an hour earlier and get out there, rain or shine. |
It's a short walk, so find a hill and add it in. |
| Day 13 | Day 14 |
| Walk 2 km | Rest |
| The correct intensity is one of the keys to fitness and health success. You should be breathing moderately hard, but still able to speak. Walk with a purpose, not window shopping speed! |
Have a complete rest today. Think about getting yourself a pedometer, which measures the total steps you walk in a day - you should aim for 10,000. |
| Day 15 | Day 16 |
| Walk 3 km | Walk 3 km |
| To have the correct posture for walking, you should hold your abdominal muscles firmly and squeeze into your buttock muscles as you stride out. Move your arms strongly and rhythmically across your chest, rather than having them hanging down by your sides. |
If you're unfit you may need frequent rests, but try to hit 20 minutes before you stop. Each week you'll improve, so keep at it! |
| Day 17 | Day 18 |
| Rest | Walk 4 km |
| Besides helping you to feel more energetic and to sleep better, 30 minutes of physical activity five or more days a week has been proven to reduce the risk of coronary heart disease, type 2 diabetes, mental health problems, high blood pressure and some cancers - and that's just a start. |
The biggest walk so far, so set out with purpose. You can do it! |
| Day 19 | Day 20 |
| Walk 1 km | Walk 3 km |
| An easier day after yesterday. Research into motivation shows that if you have some support you'll stick to your routine - so find a walking buddy, get your partner or kids out with you, or walk someone's dog. Please visit NHF Walking to find a walking group near your. |
Adding hand weights is a great way to make your walk just a bit more challenging! |
| Day 21 | Day 22 |
| Rest | Walk 4 km |
| Enjoy the break. You've been at it for three weeks. Great stuff! |
Hopefully walking will now be an essential part of your daily routine. |
| Day 23 | Day 24 |
| Walk 3 km | Rest |
| If you're walking with a stroller, remember that it can put strain on your upper back and neck muscles, so try to stand upright into the pram, and don't have your arms stretched out in front of you. |
You'll probably be feeling generally more energetic, so feel free to tackle those stairs instead of taking the lift. |
| Day 25 | Day 26 |
| Walk 5 km | Walk 1 km |
| A walk will re-energise your mind and body during periods of stress. |
A lunchtime walk with a workmate will get you up to date with all the work news, and will keep your mind fresh for the afternoon ahead. |
| Day 27 | Day 28 |
| Walk 3 km | Rest |
| Why not integrate your walk into your daily routine and take a brisk walk for 3kms to the local shops and buy your paper or milk. |
A good chance to find out more about the science of walking - check out the library or the Internet. |
| Day 29 | Day 30 |
| Walk 3 km | Walk 5 km |
| Walking is one of the most primal movement patterns known to humans. It helps burn calories and increases circulation. |
You've done it! Make the end of this be active wa program the beginning of something bigger - start a walking group or train for a half marathon. You could even get adventurous and start cycling in preparation for a duathlon - you can do whatever you set your sights on. |
This is a great website that lets you plan your routes and measure how far you've gone.
Enter your town and select ‘Australia’ in the drop-down list. You can then use the online tools to do the rest. (Note that this tool requires Google Earth.)
Other ways to measure how far you're walking include: