A walking workout

WALKING at a steady, unhurried pace helps to lower the risk of heart disease and diabetes.

Extending the length of your walk can reduce the possibility of premature death and diseases like cancer, medical research has found. Increased intensity brings further benefits.

If walking is your principal exercise, turn it into a mini­workout, by bringing along kilo, or half ­ kilo weights. Alternatively, swap these for filled ­ up water bottles which can do double duty by keeping you hydrated later in your walk, suggested Kinesiology and Nutrition Sciences professor, Dr Janet Dufek. She pointed out that it’s also possible to boost a walking workout by choosing a different terrain, especially a beach, since dry sand is an ‘extreme surface’ demanding much more effort.