How to walk for exercise with good posture
Walk for exercise with your head up and eyes about twenty feet ahead, shoulders relaxed down, and arms swinging naturally from the shoulder with elbows bent. Land on your heel and roll through to push off from the toes, taking quick natural steps rather than long reaching ones. Brisk means you can talk but not sing. Wear supportive shoes and choose a lit, even route you know.
Why it matters: Brisk walking counts toward the national activity guidance and needs nothing but shoes and a route.
Steps
- Wear supportive, well fitting walking shoes and clothes suited to the weather.
- Pick a lit, even route you know, and tell someone if it is a long or remote one.
- Stand tall with your eyes about twenty feet ahead, not on your phone or your feet.
- Let your shoulders drop and swing your arms from the shoulder with elbows bent.
- Land on the heel and roll through the foot to push off from the toes.
- Take quicker, natural steps instead of longer reaching ones to speed up.
- Use the talk test: brisk walking lets you talk in sentences but not sing.
Stop and call a professional if
- you get chest, arm or jaw discomfort, or breathlessness that does not settle with rest: call your local emergency number, 911 in the US
- calf pain comes on while walking and eases with rest, again and again: see your clinician
- you are pregnant, gave birth in the last year, or have a heart, joint, bone or pelvic floor condition: ask your clinician or a physical therapist which movements suit you first
Common mistakes
- Looking down at a phone so the neck and shoulders round forward.
- Overstriding, landing far in front of the body with a straight knee.
- Wearing worn out shoes with flattened soles.
Teach this to someone
A one page sheet for showing a friend, a teenager or a parent: what to say, what to show, and one question to check it landed.
Teach: How to walk for exercise with good posture
What to say
Walk for exercise with your head up and eyes about twenty feet ahead, shoulders relaxed down, and arms swinging naturally from the shoulder with elbows bent. Land on your heel and roll through to push off from the toes, taking quick natural steps rather than long reaching ones. Brisk means you can talk but not sing. Wear supportive shoes and choose a lit, even route you know.
What to show
- Wear supportive, well fitting walking shoes and clothes suited to the weather.
- Pick a lit, even route you know, and tell someone if it is a long or remote one.
- Stand tall with your eyes about twenty feet ahead, not on your phone or your feet.
- Let your shoulders drop and swing your arms from the shoulder with elbows bent.
- Land on the heel and roll through the foot to push off from the toes.
- Take quicker, natural steps instead of longer reaching ones to speed up.
- Use the talk test: brisk walking lets you talk in sentences but not sing.
Where it stops
Stop and call a professional if you get chest, arm or jaw discomfort, or breathlessness that does not settle with rest: call your local emergency number, 911 in the US.
Check question
How do you walk faster without straining?
Answer: Take quicker, natural steps. Overstriding lands on a straight knee and brakes each step.
Your checklist
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Quick quiz
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Related skills
Sources
- US national physical activity guidelines for adults, 2nd edition, 2018. Reviewed September 28, 2026.
Written in our own words from the sources above. It is general information, not advice for your situation; where a professional, your doctor or your lease says something different, follow them.
Last reviewed . First published .