Walking Program

Did you know?

Walking is our most basic physical activity. It is functional, practical, social, fun, and healthy. A walking program can help you stay motivated and keep you active.

The walking program based on the establishment of personal goals is a good strategy to increase the number of daily steps that you take. Below is an example of a walking program and how you can do it. We will give you some examples of strategies to increase your daily steps.

How am I doing?

Using an activity-tracker wearable device (or pedometer app) to measure the number of steps you take in a day is a good way to start a physical activity program and a good way to track your progress.

TIP: It is possible to download a pedometer app on your smartphone. Although it is not as precise as one you wear on your belt, it can still give you a good idea of what you are doing in your day.

In the week 1: Baseline

Record your steps daily. At the end of the week, add up your steps for the 7 days and divide by 7 to get a daily step average or baseline.

Total Steps for Week 1: _________ ÷ 7 = _________ Your daily Step Average/Baseline

What can I do?

On average, a moderately active person will walk 5,000 to 7,000 steps in a day. The goal you choose at 4-weeks, 6-weeks, 8-weeks or longer is up to you and will depend on your starting point, your exercise background and lifestyle. If you have any health concerns about starting or increasing your physical activity level, talk to your doctor before beginning a new physical activity program.

Would you like to set a Goal? Now that you know the number of steps you take daily and the baseline steps average, do you want to set a step goal for some point in the future?

If yes, pick a date in the future and write in your daily step goal here.

Goal: _________ steps per day by __________ (date)

To build up your steps and endurance, you should gradually increase the number of steps you walk each week. How much you increase is up to you, but this walking program suggests that you increase your walking by 500 steps per day per week. For example, someone who has a baseline number of 2,000 steps should try to walk 2,500 steps per day in Week 2. Using this method to project your goal for Week 3 and beyond, you would add 500 to 2,500 (Week 2) and 3,000 steps per day is your goal in Week 3 (2,500 + 500),3,500 in Week 4 (3,000 + 500) and 4,000 in Week 5 (3,500 + 500). Using this progression, this person could double their distance in 5 weeks.

You can use a smaller target for the number of steps you add each week. For example, increase the daily total at the end of a week by 300 steps instead of 500 steps or stay at a goal for more than one week if you think the progression is too rapid for you. You could also increase the added steps (ex: 500 to 700) if you want to progress more quickly. It’s solely up to you and you should progress at a pace that’s comfortable for you until you reach your goal.

Continue your walking program until you reach your goal. You may want to modify your goal during this program or reset your goal once you reach it. There are a number of programs that use 10,000 steps per day as a fitness goal. This may not work for all individuals. The recommended minimum level of moderate physical activity is at least 30 minutes of activity, at least 5 times per week. In a pedometer program, 4,000 to 5,000 steps translate into approximately 30 minutes of activity.

How can I do it?

It is a good idea to talk to your general practitioner, physiotherapist, or kinesiologist if you are new to exercise or have not exercised in a long time. They can provide advice on suitable activities.

Don’t forget: if you want you can incorporate a warm-up and cool-down period (you can check more about it on the “Exercise” topic) into your walking program.

Here are some tips:

• You can incorporate the walking program into your daily life. Examples include walking the dog, taking the stairs, getting off the bus a stop earlier, walking whilst on the telephone or mowing the lawn.
• Ask family or friends to join you – having a buddy is a great motivation.
• Local community centres and gyms often offer low impact exercise and walking programs. They can also provide personalised training programs.