Recommended walking distance per day km

Summary

Read the full fact sheet

  • Walking for 30 minutes a day or more on most days of the week is a great way to improve or maintain your overall health.
  • If you can’t manage 30 minutes a day, remember ‘even a little is good, but more is better’.
  • Walking with others can turn exercise into an enjoyable social occasion.
  • See your doctor for a medical check-up before embarking on any new fitness program, particularly if you are aged over 40 years, are overweight or haven’t exercised in a long time.

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Recommended walking distance per day km

Recommended walking distance per day km

This page has been produced in consultation with and approved by:

Recommended walking distance per day km

Recommended walking distance per day km

  • Aerobics injuries are usually caused by trauma and overuse, but can be prevented by using the right techniques and equipment.

  • Aortic stenosis may be congenital (present from before birth), but is often diagnosed during teenage years.

  • Exercise can reduce some of the symptoms of arthritis, and improve joint mobility and strength.

  • Asthma triggered by exercise can be prevented with medication and by preparing for exercise and physical activity.

  • Australian rules football is a physical contact sport that often results in injuries from tackling, kicking, running and constant competition for the ball.

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Content disclaimer

Content on this website is provided for information purposes only. Information about a therapy, service, product or treatment does not in any way endorse or support such therapy, service, product or treatment and is not intended to replace advice from your doctor or other registered health professional. The information and materials contained on this website are not intended to constitute a comprehensive guide concerning all aspects of the therapy, product or treatment described on the website. All users are urged to always seek advice from a registered health care professional for diagnosis and answers to their medical questions and to ascertain whether the particular therapy, service, product or treatment described on the website is suitable in their circumstances. The State of Victoria and the Department of Health shall not bear any liability for reliance by any user on the materials contained on this website.

Recommended walking distance per day km
Image: Getty Images

They say any amount of walking is better than none at all. While that’s true, a major health improvement requires more than the occasional five-minute stroll. So how much is enough? Here’s what the experts think.

Australian physical activity guidelines recommend that healthy adults do a minimum of 75 to 150 minutes of vigorous intensity physical activity per week. However, that’s easier said than done when you’re already out of shape.

Fortunately, it turns out that simply increasing the duration of your daily walks – without any additional exercise – can do a surprising amount of good. (It’s also nearly as healthy as running.)

How long you should walk for

According to new scientific research, an average adult should spend at least 22 minutes walking per day. This works out to 150 minutes per week – which is enough to significantly transform your health.

In a 13-year study of older adults consisting of 62,178 men and 77,077 women, participants who walked at least 150 minutes per week were about 20% less likely to die than their inactive counterparts.

As the study concludes: “walking [is] the ‘perfect exercise’ because it is a simple action that is free, convenient, does not require any special equipment or training, and can be done at any age.”

There are many ways to improve your walking regime and get the health benefits faster: you could try joining a walking group, use these psychological tricks to go on longer walks and eventually graduate to ‘racewalking’. Or best of all, adopt a dog!

If you’re serious about fitness, you will want to introduce some form of body-weight or gym-based resistance training exercise further down the track. But as a starting point, a daily 22-minute walk is a great way to improve your flexibility, aerobic fitness levels and estimated lifespan. Start today.

Recommended walking distance per day km

The Right Amount Of Daily Exercise - For Every Fitness Level

Zero exercise is not enough. Going for a walk every day is probably a good thing. And if you're training for a marathon, you'll be on your feet for a couple hours of hard workouts every week. But what is the benchmark for a human being just trying to squeeze enough healthy exercise into their life? Let's break it down.

Read more

We will leave you with the following video, without comment:

[Via Business Insider]

This story has been updated since its original publication.

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