Before you begin
You can walk for about five comfortable minutes. You do not need a distance target or an intention to run. Make room for three walks in each seven-day plan week.
These starting requirements describe this general plan, not an individual health assessment. Use the easier entry below until five minutes feels manageable.
How the plan fits together
Small timed increases establish a manageable walking routine. Week 4 repeats the previous week's durations before the longer walks build. The final session reaches 30 minutes at easy effort; it is not a running or 5 km test.
Walking for 30 minutes is the goal. There is no pace or distance target.
Effort, recovery and looking after yourself
If five minutes is too much today, begin outside the saved schedule with two or three easy minutes. Build towards five comfortable minutes before choosing a start date.
Every duration is the complete walk, including its gentler opening and finish. Walk at an easy effort with room to speak in sentences. There is no pace, step-count or distance target.
Rest days contain no scheduled plan walk. Gentle everyday movement is optional and does not need to become another workout.
Use the longest walk in the current week as your main check. Continue when the next increase looks manageable; repeat when another week at the same durations would help; step back when an earlier duration fitted better; pause and get advice when pain, illness, unusual symptoms or uncertainty changes the decision.
Ten weeks is the nominal schedule, not a deadline. Repeating, stepping back or pausing is your decision. In your private copy, move or adjust individual future sessions; editing one session does not shift the rest of the plan.
Do not double the next walk after a missed session. Mark it Not done when that is accurate, then continue when it fits and you are ready. After a longer interruption or changed circumstances, reassess the five-minute starting point and seek appropriate advice when individual assessment is needed.
A comfortable 30-minute walk is a complete achievement. Running and 5 km are optional separate goals, not requirements of this plan.
Choose a route or setting you can finish easily, with a safe surface and a way home if you stop. Indoor walking is welcome; specialist equipment is not required.
Stop and seek appropriate medical advice for pain that concerns you, chest pain or tightness, unusual shortness of breath or dizziness. In Australia, call triple zero (000) for a medical emergency, including severe or worsening chest pain or chest pain lasting 10 minutes.
Your 10 weeks
Every day is here. Each walk is a complete time, including its gentler opening and finish.
Week 13 walks · 7 min longest
17 planned walking minutes. Every minute is included.
Walk for 5 minutes in total. Begin with 1 especially gentle minute, stay at an easy effort with room to speak in sentences, then make the final minute gentle. There is no pace or distance target.
No scheduled plan walk today. Gentle everyday movement is optional, not another workout.
Walk for 5 minutes in total. Begin with 1 especially gentle minute, stay at an easy effort with room to speak in sentences, then make the final minute gentle. There is no pace or distance target.
No scheduled plan walk today. Gentle everyday movement is optional, not another workout.
No scheduled plan walk today. Gentle everyday movement is optional, not another workout.
Walk for 7 minutes in total. Begin with 1 especially gentle minute, stay at an easy effort with room to speak in sentences, then make the final minute gentle. There is no pace or distance target.
No scheduled plan walk today. Gentle everyday movement is optional, not another workout.
Week 23 walks · 8 min longest
21 planned walking minutes. Every minute is included.
Walk for 6 minutes in total. Begin with 1 especially gentle minute, stay at an easy effort with room to speak in sentences, then make the final minute gentle. There is no pace or distance target.
About this plan
Written for RGN as a general walking plan, not individual coaching or a promise of a result. Later changes never rewrite your saved copy.
General references: Australian Government movement recommendations, Australian movement guidelines evidence report, CDC guide to measuring physical activity intensity, Healthdirect cardiovascular exercise guidance, Healthdirect chest-pain guidance. These sources inform general movement guidance; they do not endorse this exact RGN schedule.