Walking for Beginners: How to Start and Build Up to 150 Minutes a Week

Walking is the easiest place to start moving more. The federal Physical Activity Guidelines for Americans call it "an easy physical activity to begin and maintain," and point out that it needs no special skills, facilities or expensive equipment. Here's how much to aim for, how to tell if your pace counts, and a way to build up without overdoing it.

How much walking do adults need?

The CDC's guidelines for adults set the weekly target at 150 minutes of moderate-intensity activity, and brisk walking is the CDC's own example of moderate intensity.

That could be 30 minutes a day, 5 days a week. The CDC also says you can spread your activity across the week and break it into smaller chunks of time, so three 10-minute walks count the same as one 30-minute walk.

If 150 minutes feels far off, start anyway. The CDC says some physical activity is better than none, and adults who sit less and do any amount of moderate activity gain some health benefits.

How brisk is brisk?

Use the talk test. The CDC's intensity guide says that during moderate-intensity activity you can talk, but not sing.

The CDC's tips for getting more active describe the goal pace the same way: eventually you want a pace that raises your heart rate and breaks a sweat.

Start low and go slow

The federal guidelines advise people who are inactive to "start low and go slow": begin with lower intensity and gradually increase how often and how long you're active. The CDC puts it simply: start with a few extra minutes today, then add a few more tomorrow.

A comfortable first week might be a 10-minute walk most days at a pace where you can still sing. Add a few minutes each week, and pick up the pace once the time feels easy.

How to set a step goal

The guidelines say 10,000 steps a day is popular advice, not an official guideline. They suggest setting a time goal first and then working out the steps. Here's their method:

1. Find your usual steps. Wear a step counter on a few ordinary days with no walks for exercise. Say you average about 5,000 steps.
2. Measure a 10-minute walk. Count the steps in a 10-minute brisk walk. Say it's 1,000 steps. For a 20-minute walking goal, that's 2,000 steps.
3. Add them up. 5,000 usual steps plus 2,000 walking steps gives a daily goal of 7,000.
4. Build up each week. The guidelines say some people starting around 5,000 steps a day can add 500 steps a day each week, and people who are less fit should add a smaller number.

Easy ways to fit walks into your day

The CDC suggests small changes that add minutes without a workout plan:

• Park farther away and walk briskly to the door.
• Walk your dog a little farther than usual.
• Make a walking date with a friend or family member.
• Take a walking lunch break.

A simple beginner walking week

• Week 1: 10 minutes, 5 days, at a comfortable pace.
• Week 2: 15 minutes, 5 days. Try the talk test partway through.
• Week 3: 20 minutes, 5 days, at a brisk pace for part of each walk.
• Week 4 and on: keep adding until you reach 30 minutes, 5 days a week. That's 150 minutes.

Go at your own speed. The guidelines say the rate of progress should be individual. If you have a health condition or haven't been active in a while, talk to your doctor before starting.

Want to round out your week? The CDC also recommends 2 days of muscle strengthening, covered in strength training for beginners. For sleep and activity targets side by side, see how much sleep and exercise you need. The rest of the Bloome wellness library has more sourced basics.

Methodology: Bloome Health built this guide from the CDC pages and the HHS Physical Activity Guidelines for Americans linked here, read October 2026.