You don’t have to turn every walk into a workout to get a little more out of it.
Sometimes picking up the pace is as simple as walking a little faster between two trees, slowing down when you reach the next bend, and doing it again when you feel ready.
That’s what this pathway is about: adding a little variety and challenge to your walks without losing the enjoyment of being outside. No racing, no pressure to keep up with anyone else, and certainly no requirement to come home completely exhausted.
Just a few practical ways to build on the walking you’re already doing.
A Little Faster, a Little Easier
Before you start adding faster stretches to your walks, it helps to know what “brisk” actually feels like. And once you find that pace, you don’t have to maintain it for an entire walk to benefit from it.
These two guides will help you recognize a comfortable challenge and experiment with alternating faster and easier walking.
Walking briskly doesn’t mean you have to race down the trail or keep up with someone else’s pace. Learn how to recognize a comfortable challenge using your breathing, your ability to talk, and how your body feels. You’ll discover what a purposeful walking pace looks like for you, without needing to chase a particular speed or number.
You don’t have to maintain a brisk pace for your entire walk to make it worthwhile. Alternating faster stretches with easier walking gives you a chance to challenge yourself and catch your breath along the way. Explore a simple approach to changing your pace that you can adjust to your fitness level, energy, and the kind of day you’re having.
An interval walk is simply a walk where you change your pace on purpose. You spend a little time walking briskly, then slow down long enough to recover before doing it again. There’s no need to sprint, count steps, or make the faster portions feel miserable.
Try this simple 15-minute walk:
- Minutes 0–5: Walk at an easy, comfortable pace to warm up.
- Minutes 5–11: Alternate one minute of brisk walking with one minute at an easier pace. Repeat three times.
- Minutes 11–15: Return to a comfortable pace and finish your walk.
During the brisk portions, you should be breathing a little harder but still able to speak in short sentences. During the easier portions, let your breathing settle.
If one minute feels like too much, try 20 or 30 seconds instead. You can also extend the easier portions. The goal isn’t to complete a perfect interval workout. It’s to discover how a little change in pace feels and build from there.
Three Ways to Change Your Pace
You don’t need a stopwatch or a carefully planned workout to add a little variety to your walks. Sometimes the trail itself gives you everything you need.
A familiar landmark, a gentle hill, or a few minutes on the clock can all become simple ways to experiment with walking a little faster. Here are three approaches you can try, depending on where you’re walking and what feels good that day.
You don’t need a timer to change your walking pace. Trees, benches, trail signs, and even the next street corner can give you natural places to speed up or slow down. It’s an easy way to introduce short bursts of brisk walking while keeping your attention on the world around you instead of a screen.
Try this: Choose a landmark you can see ahead and walk toward it at a slightly brisker pace. When you reach it, slow down and walk comfortably until your breathing settles. Pick another landmark whenever you’re ready. The distances don’t have to be equal, and there’s no need to rush between every pair of trees. Let the route and how you’re feeling guide you.
A gentle hill can make an ordinary walk feel surprisingly different. Walking uphill asks your leg muscles to work a little harder and naturally raises the effort, even if you don’t increase your speed. You don’t need a steep trail or a mountain hike to experience that change. A small neighborhood incline can be plenty.
Try this: Find a gentle hill and walk up at a pace that lets you stay in control of your breathing. Shorten your steps if that feels more comfortable, and don’t worry if you’re moving more slowly than you would on flat ground. Once you reach the top, return to an easier pace on level ground. You can repeat the hill if you feel good, or simply continue your walk. Take extra care on downhill or uneven sections.
Sometimes it’s easier to change your pace when you don’t have to think about where to speed up or slow down. A simple timer can give your walk a little structure, especially if you’re using a familiar route without many obvious landmarks. And you don’t need a smartwatch or special app. An ordinary phone timer works just fine.
Try this: After a few minutes of comfortable walking, pick up your pace for 30 seconds, then return to an easier pace for 90 seconds. Repeat that pattern three or four times, depending on how you’re feeling, and finish with a few minutes of relaxed walking. If 30 seconds feels too challenging, shorten it. If you’re feeling comfortable, you can gradually experiment with longer brisk periods on future walks.
Adding a little challenge to your walks can be a wonderful thing. But there’s a difference between feeling pleasantly challenged and feeling like you’re pushing yourself through something your body isn’t handling well.
Some days, a brisk pace feels comfortable and energizing. Other days, the same pace might leave you unusually winded or tired. Maybe you slept poorly, you’re recovering from an illness, or you’ve simply had a demanding week. During perimenopause and menopause, changes in sleep and other symptoms can also affect how ready you feel for physical activity. There’s no reason to expect every walk to feel exactly the same.
Pay attention to how you’re breathing, whether you can maintain a comfortable stride, and how you feel afterward. If you’re struggling to catch your breath, getting unusually fatigued, or finding that your brisk intervals aren’t feeling manageable, slow down or take a break. Chest pain, dizziness, or severe or unexpected breathlessness are reasons to stop and seek appropriate medical attention.
And remember, recovery isn’t something you earn by working hard enough. It’s part of the process. An easier walk, a shorter route, or a day of rest can be exactly what you need before adding more challenge.
The goal of Pick Up the Pace isn’t to make every walk faster than the last. It’s to give you another way to enjoy moving, build your capacity gradually, and recognize when a little more effort feels right—and when it doesn’t.
Making Progress Your Way
There’s no single schedule for becoming a stronger walker. Some people enjoy gradually increasing their brisk intervals, while others would rather explore a new route, tackle an occasional hill, or simply feel more comfortable walking at a purposeful pace.
What matters is finding a level of challenge that works for you and giving yourself time to adjust. These two guides will help you build on what you’re already doing without turning every walk into another thing you have to get exactly right.
You don’t have to walk farther or faster every time you head outside. Small changes, made gradually, can help you build stamina and confidence without pushing too hard. Learn how to increase your walking challenge at a manageable pace, recognize when you’re ready for more, and give yourself time to adjust along the way.
Your walking routine should fit your life, not the other way around. Whether you prefer short brisk intervals, gentle hills, or a longer walk at a comfortable pace, there are plenty of ways to make walking more challenging without following someone else’s perfect plan. Explore how to adjust your walks to your energy, abilities, and goals.
