The Centers for Disease Control recommends 150 minutes per week of moderate intensity cardiovascular exercise such as walking to maintain health and weight. Walking, when done properly and for long enough, burns calories, decreases blood pressure, keeps weight in check, and strengthens the heart and bones.
Frequency
To achieve maximum results from walking, get into a consistent routine. In order to burn 1 lb. of fat, you must burn off 3,500 calories; to burn 1 lb. in a week, you need to burn 500 calories a day. A 150-lb. person walking between 3 and 4 mph must walk about 6 miles to burn 500 calories. Using a pedometer is an inexpensive way to measure your steps and distance. For the average person, a mile equals approximately 2,000 steps, so you need to walk 12,000 steps per day to burn that 500 calories.
Intensity
Most people do not walk with enough intensity to burn body fat. Increase walking intensity by adding intervals of increased speed and incline--these can easily be achieved on a treadmill. Start with small one-minute increases of about 10 percent of your current pace. Exercise for one minute at this higher intensity for every three minutes at your current pace. Increase the amount of time spent at the higher level when you feel comfortable. If you walk outside, use landmarks to add faster intervals to your workout. Using a scale of one to 10, your intensity level should fall about seven or eight for maximum results.
Variety
Mixing your routine challenges different muscles groups and keeps your workouts fresh. For example, walk your current route backwards; find a friend and walk her route; go to the local high school track and walk part backwards or even sideways; seek out a very hilly route to utilize the increased intensity that comes with walking uphill; and vary your distances--some days do a shorter workout at a higher intensity, other days do something a little longer.
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