Walk, then step it up. Walking briskly for 30 minutes a day is great exercise. But once you’re fit — and if your doctor says it’s OK — you can reap additional health benefits by trying to do any of the following activities a couple of times a week: Interval training. This involves alternating bursts of intense activity with less intense activity. For example, try walking normally for about two to three minutes, then walking at a faster pace — or jogging — for about three minutes. Adding this to your routine has been shown to increase fitness, burn more calories, build muscle and lower blood pressure. Add hills. Similar to interval training, you periodically increase your cardiovascular and muscular effort by incorporating hills into the route you follow. Work in a new activity. Whether it’s yoga, swimming or using weight machines, this allows you to exercise less-used muscle groups, or to exercise fit muscles in new ways. Take a class or join a group. An instructor or exercise partners may be able to inspire — or coax — you into putting forth a little bit more effort than you normally would. Increase the intensity of your activity gradually. Adding too much at once can lead to pain, injury and discouragement. Mayo Clinic Health Letter
