Week 5

Week 5 of your Personal Walking Plan

It’s the second-last week of your challenge. Can you believe you’ve come this far? 

This week we are adding another walking day to your program and encouraging you to do just a little bit more at each walk if you can.

Here’s what you’ll be doing in Week 5:

Not ready for a longer walk?

If you are finding that your walking time is just right for you, stay at the same level and focus on your strength exercises.

You can break your walks into smaller chunks throughout the day – for example, you could complete 10-15 minute walk in the morning and 10 minute walk later in the day to give you a total of 25 minutes for the day. 

Stretching exercises

Continue with the same stretching routine from last week. Spend a bit of time on the stretches you find most challenging – this can help you improve your flexibility. 

Intensity reminder

Remember that the rating of your effort/intensity is exactly that - YOUR rating of effort! What it takes from you to get to the advised level on any given day will change, and be affected by things such as fatigue, motivation, mood as well as many external factors. Just listen to your body and aim for that 4 out 10 - knowing that might mean a faster or slower pace.

Need a refresher? Here’s our how-to video again. 

Strength exercises 

Let’s spend another week getting used to the strength exercises after only just starting them last week. One day this week is your goal, but if you managed ok and want to add another day or a few more reps, please do. Remember, listen to your body!

Tips for progressing your plan

- Try to do each exercise at your achievable level on 2 different days of the week (best not to do them 2 days in a row!)

- Schedule your strength exercises on your ‘off’ days – that is, on days you’re not already walking. 

- If you have an injury that stops you from completing an exercise, that's ok! Skip it and move on to the next one. 

- If you have time, stretch after you complete your strength exercises. This can help with muscle stiffness the next day. 

Here’s a reminder of some of the combinations you can try. 

• Beginner = 1 set of 6–10 reps 
• Intermediate = 2 sets of 10-15 reps
• Advanced = 3 sets of 10–15 reps 

Watch our how-to video:

Download and print off your weekly Program Card, Stretch Card and Strength Card to keep track of your progress.

Remember, if you experience any chest pain, have difficulty breathing or become unwell during any physical activity, stop and seek advice from your doctor or health care team.