Walk30 challenge: week one
Welcome to the Walk30 challenge. We’ll be asking you to walk briskly for 30 minutes, 5 times a week to strengthen both your heart and core. Try the challenge for 4 weeks and see what benefits you feel.
Why walk for 30 minutes 5 times a week?
The health benefits of brisk walking are often underrated, but it’s one of the most accessible ways to increase your activity levels, lose weight, boost your metabolism and help build your resilience. As a form of moderate exercise, walking is a great way to improve your energy and lift your mood – not to mention being good for flexibility, joint mobility and reducing the risk of some chronic illnesses.
What are the rules of the Walk30 challenge?
We are asking everyone to take part in 30 minutes of brisk walking, 5 times a week. Your brisk walking can be split up into shorter 10 minute bursts or you can walk the full 30 minutes in one go. Walking continuously for 30 minutes will help to build stamina.
The aim is to find manageable ways to fit your 30 minutes of brisk walking into your daily routine. Why not walk part of your journey to work? Or take a walk on your lunch break?
Measure your resting heart rate before starting
Record it so that you can compare it at the end of the 4 week challenge. You can measure your own pulse by following these simple steps or watching our video below.
Step 1
Gently place 2 fingers from your opposite hand onto your wrist. Ensure you are covering the artery, you should easily feel the pulse.
Step 2
Count the beats for 30 seconds
Step 3
Double the result to get the number of beats per minute.
What is a healthy resting heart rate?
The healthier you are, the lower your resting heart rate is likely to be – that’s why we recommend measuring your heart rate before you start the Walk30 challenge and again after the 4 week challenge to see if there’s any difference. Most adults have an average resting heart rate of 60-100 beats per minute. If you have any concerns then it’s best to speak to your GP.