Daily walking

If you do only one kind of cardio, make it walking. Most people can do it every day, and it barely affects lifting.

How many steps

In a meta-analysis of 15 studies, adults who took more steps a day had a lower risk of dying during follow-up. The benefit levelled off at about 6,000–8,000 steps a day for adults 60 and older and 8,000–10,000 for younger adults [1]. So 10,000 isn’t a magic number, but more than you do now is a good target.

Brisk walking counts toward the 150-minute moderate cardio guideline [2].

Pros

• No equipment, no learning curve, low injury risk
• Barely interferes with lifting
• Easy to fit around a day: commute, calls, errands

Cons

• Slow way to improve fitness once you’re past the beginner stage
• Easy to overestimate. Check your phone’s step count for a week before setting a target.

How to walk more

1. Find your baseline. Look at your average steps for last week.
2. Add about 1,000 a day each week or two until you reach your target.
3. Attach walks to habits: after meals (see walks after meals), on phone calls, one stop early on the bus.
4. Make some walks brisk: talking but not singing pace.

General information, not medical advice. If you have a health condition, are pregnant or take medication, check changes with your doctor.