The dishes are done, the light is going, and the coat is still by the door. A walk after dinner is a small, ordinary thing, and it fits neatly into how federal guidance counts activity.
What the guidance counts
The CDC’s adult activity page gives 150 minutes a week of moderate-intensity aerobic activity, with brisk walking as its example, plus muscle-strengthening activities on two or more days. The HHS executive summary of the Physical Activity Guidelines for Americans, second edition, widens the range to 150 to 300 minutes and adds that adults should “move more and sit less throughout the day.” It says that some physical activity is better than none, and that aerobic activity is best spread through the week.
Ten minutes is a real unit
NHLBI’s “Move More” handout is built around chunks: ten minutes a few times a day. For a first step it suggests walking briskly for five minutes, turning around and walking back. The HHS summary notes that the second edition dropped the older requirement that activity occur in bouts of at least ten minutes, and the CDC says activity can be spread out and broken into smaller chunks of time.
How fast is brisk?
NHLBI offers the talk test. During activities like brisk walking, a person should be able to talk but not sing. During something such as jogging, more than a few words without pausing for breath is hard. The handout’s closing advice is to start gradually and increase slowly.
Why after dinner
None of the three sources says one time of day is best. NHLBI suggests a walk during lunch, or one before sitting down to dinner or a movie, and offers 30 minutes five times a week as one way to reach 150 minutes. An evening loop is simply another place to put minutes, and a convenient one, because the house is already at a standstill.
A first week
- Pick a loop that takes ten minutes, out and back.
- Walk it after dinner on five evenings. That adds up to 50 of the week’s 150 minutes.
- Use the talk test for pace.
- Fill in the rest of the week with lunch walks, stairs or a longer weekend outing.
