Know the benefits

Physical activity doesn't need to be hard to help your health. Something as simple as a daily brisk walk can help you improve your health and lower your risk of many long-term health conditions.

For example, regular brisk walking can help you:

• Maintain a healthy weight or help manage your weight.
• Prevent or manage various health conditions, including heart disease, stroke, high blood pressure, several cancers and type 2 diabetes.
• Improve heart health and fitness, and build endurance.
• Strengthen bones and muscles.
• Boost energy levels.
• Improve mood, thinking, memory and sleep.
• Improve physical function and, in older adults, lower fall risk.
• Reduce stress and anxiety.

In general, walking faster, farther and more often is linked to greater benefits. If you are just starting out, slowly work your way up to walking faster and farther. Over time, you may notice you can walk farther in less time. This helps you get aerobic activity, improve heart health, build endurance and burn calories.

And getting a high number of steps each day is linked to a lower risk of death from heart disease and from all causes.

You also can switch between brisk walking and slower walking. This is an example of interval training. Try walking fast for a few minutes, then slow down for a few minutes. Interval training can improve heart health and fitness and can be a time-efficient way to improve fitness.