Walk the Dog a Little Farther: CDC Tips to Fit More Walking Into Busy Days

You probably don’t need a gym membership or a free afternoon to get moving. You may just need a parking spot at the far end of the lot.

That’s the idea behind a short list of tips from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, which calls walking more an easy way for most people to add physical activity to their day. The agency’s tips say to walk or roll, so they include wheelchair users.¹

Why bother? The CDC says regular physical activity can lower the risk of many chronic diseases, including heart disease and some cancers, and can help you feel better right away.¹ Here are six ways to start this week.

1. Start small, and count it. The CDC says some movement is better than none, and even small amounts of activity bring some health benefits.¹ A five-minute walk is not a failed 30-minute walk. It’s a five-minute walk.

2. Tuck walking into trips you already take. The CDC suggests parking farther away and walking briskly, walking the dog a little farther than usual, and finding convenient paths near home or work. If your child has sports practice, walk or roll laps around the field.¹ At the airport, the agency suggests walking or rolling to the concourse instead of taking the shuttle or tram.¹

3. Bring someone along. Make a walking date with a friend or family member, or host a virtual walking meeting, according to the CDC.¹

4. Plan for lunch breaks and bad weather. The CDC recommends taking a walking lunch break and keeping walking shoes and socks in your car or filing cabinet, so dress shoes stop being an excuse.¹ When the weather is bad, the agency suggests walking at a local mall.¹

5. Work up to 150 minutes a week, slowly. The CDC advises starting slowly and building toward 150 minutes of physical activity a week. That could look like about 22 minutes a day, or 30 minutes a day on five days.¹ The agency says a physical activity diary may help.¹

That number isn’t arbitrary. The national Physical Activity Guidelines for Americans advise people who are inactive to start with small amounts of activity and work up over time to at least 150 minutes a week of moderate-to-vigorous aerobic activity.³ The CDC’s adult guidance also adds two days a week of muscle-strengthening activity.² Harvard Health reports that groups including the American College of Sports Medicine and the American Heart Association support the guidelines.⁴

6. Eventually, pick up the pace. Over time, the CDC says, you’ll want to walk at a moderately intense pace: heart rate up, breaking a sweat. Its handy test is that at moderate intensity you can talk but can’t sing.¹ So the walking date can keep its conversation, but the duet will have to wait.

None of this has to happen all at once. Pick one tip, try it this week, and build from there.