Walking, whether it’s planned as exercise or just what we incorporate in our day, is perhaps the most undervalued thing we can do for the long-term management of our weight and health. If you’re just starting to get more active, getting the right amount of walking should be most (about 80%) of what you aim to do. Many of us can relate to when we've previously invested in the "20%", on the strange exercise routines and exercise gadgets, only getting about "20%" of the results, leading to disappointment.

Increasing the amount of walking you do improves blood pressure, lowers cholesterol, helps manage weight, lowers stress, increases sleep quality and contributes to a longer life with less disability. It ultimately reduces your risks of diabetes, heart disease, stroke, even osteoporosis and some cancers.

We were designed to walk about 10 000 paces (let’s call them steps herein) per day, which is equivalent to about 5-7 km, depending on your height. You can do 6 km all at once, 3 x 2 km walks, a whole lot of 100 m walks, or a combination of all. There are added benefits of doing the longer bouts at a moderate intensity, as well as doing more than 10 000 steps, but the point is it all adds up. Long before cars and machines did all the work for us, if we missed our 5-7 km, we usually had to do 10-14 km the next day so the 'average' was still the same. The 'average' office worker struggles to do 4 000 steps per day - for those that don't like to process the numbers, this adds up to about 1000km of walking we're missing out on each year!

Buy yourself a pedometer (available from sport and fitness retailers), put it on first thing in the morning and don’t take it off until just before bed. Set yourself a goal and gradually increase the number of steps you are taking each week, for example an extra 1,000 steps per week. Explore all the ways you can increase your walking levels. Here’s some ideas:

- Bring the shopping bags in one bag at a time = 8 minutes/1 000 steps

- Do other errands around the house waiting for the kettle to boil = 3 minutes/360 steps

- Return empty shopping trolley to the supermarket = 5 minutes/600 steps

- 10 minutes at lunchtime for a brisk walk = 1200+ steps

- Before getting in the car, you must walk around it 3 times = 2 minutes/250 steps

- Use the stairs rather than the lift. No option? Walk up the escalator.

- Get off the bus one stop earlier.

- Get out in the garden regularly. You’d be surprised at how many steps this is.

- Organise lunchtime activities with workmates, or just get out there and go for a 10-30 minute walk.

- Wherever possible, walk or ride a bike instead of taking a car.

- To steady your mind, start and end the day with a walk around the neighbourhood.

When you think of other solutions that suit your lifestyle, why not share these ideas with your friends as you never know what options may work for them.