Walk yourself HEALTHIER!

Walking is a fun and easy way to boost your health. Here’s how to turn it into a workout…

- TANYA PEAREY

Forget 10,000 steps

It’s an arbitrary figure anyway, probably set by marketing men in Japan years ago to sell pedometers. Some health experts are concerned that the target is too unrealistic and puts many of us off even trying. Instead of aiming for a set amount of steps, simply try to increase the amount of walking you do each day. Build it into your daily routine.

Walk for an hour… to cut your breast cancer risk. Women who walk at least 60 minutes each day after menopause lower their risk of the disease by 14% – even if they do absolutely no other form of exercise – according to research by the American Cancer Society. It’s thought to regulate the levels of hormones that may encourage breast tumours to grow.

Get the right shoes

Walking shoes are fine for warm, dry weather on flat ground. Boots offer vital ankle support and are the best for challenging terrain and changing weather conditions. Solid leather uppers are good if you might run into boggy ground, but they’re heavier. Good material boots will be waterproof, but won’t offer as much protection when it’s heavy going underfoot. You need a good fit to avoid blisters and chaffing. Boots should give you room to manoeuvre – you should be able to wriggle your toes and bend and flex your feet. Push your toes to the end of the boot and you should have enough room to put your index finger down the back.

• TRY Quechua MH100 Women’s Walking Shoes, £29.99, Decathlon

Get out of breath