Prevention Publishes Four-Week Walking Plan

The four-week program, created by Juan Tamariz of Life Time’s Middletown–Red Bank location in New Jersey, is intended for adults who want a steady walking routine and stronger aerobic fitness. It starts with four weekly walks, increasing to five by the third week. Sessions gradually become longer or more intense to develop endurance. People returning from inactivity can shorten or ease the workouts, beginning with walks of 10 or 15 minutes.

The weekly schedule also includes two strength sessions. Before walks, Tamariz suggests three to five minutes of mobility work, including knee movements for the ankles, outward knee rotations for the hips and balance, shallow reverse lunges with upper-body rotation, and controlled calf raises. Each movement uses either 3-5 or 5-10 repetitions, depending on the exercise. The American Heart Association’s weekly benchmark is 150 minutes of activity, ideally distributed across multiple days; five 30-minute walks would meet it.

Research cited alongside the plan describes several potential benefits. In a 2022 study, postmenopausal women following a walking routine for 10 weeks reduced weight and body fat while raising peak oxygen uptake by 16%. A 2025 study found better sleep and less depression after a 12-week app-guided program that encouraged at least 30 minutes of walking on five days each week. Separate 2022 research found that older adults combining four to five aerobic sessions with two resistance workouts improved blood-sugar measures, insulin sensitivity, peak oxygen uptake, and fat loss. After the program, Tamariz recommends changing one element at a time, such as duration, speed, hills, intervals, or strength difficulty.