The number one reason people give for skipping their workouts is no time to exercise. In fact, you're probably reading this in between dashing off to your next appointment or getting the kids off to school. That's why you need an exercise programme that fits into the nooks and crannies of your life.

‘Lifestyle’ walking is one of the few forms of exercise that you can slip seamlessly into every day. It's the type of casual, low-intensity walking you do when you walk around the shops, to the train station and around the supermarket aisles. In fact, it’s such a simple activity that you may think it's not worth doing. After all, how much benefit can you get from what is essentially a glorified stroll? A lot, actually.

When you walk, you strengthen and tone your calves, thighs, hips, abs and lower back. In recent years, researchers have found that walking just over a kilometre and a half (or one mile) a day at a comfortable pace reduces your risk of heart disease, increases stamina and improves overall health. It has also been shown to reduce stress and fatigue as well as improve self-esteem and mood.

The key to successful lifestyle walking is consistency, not intensity. We recommend that you walk 30 to 60 minutes most days of the week. Aim to burn at least 500 calories through weekly walking to bolster your health and make noticeable improvements in stamina. (You burn about 100 calories per 1.61 kilometre or per mile.) If your goal is weight loss, walk enough to burn 1,500 calories a week; for most of us that's an accumulated distance of about 24 to 32 kilometres or 15 to 20 miles a week.

Contrary to popular belief, you don't have to do all your walking in one go. You can ‘collect’ walks throughout the day and add them all up. Most experts and organisations agree that several mini-walks are just as beneficial as one long one. Here are several ways you can sneak some lifestyle walking into your typical day:

• Walk once in the morning, once at lunchtime and once after dinner, for a total of three 10- to 20-minute walks
• Walk to a friend's house and back for a total of two 20- to 30-minute walks
• Window-shop in your neighbourhood, or do your errands on foot to accumulate an hour or more of walking time
• Walk to work, to the train or to the bus stop. If necessary, get off the train or bus one or two stops early so that you can accumulate two to four 10- to 15-minute walks daily
• Schedule an appointment in your dairy for a 30- to 60-minute walk on the treadmill or outdoors

I recommend that you take a twofold strategy to lifestyle walks: Go for a proper lifestyle walk three to six days a week and squeeze as much ‘informal’ lifestyle walking into your everyday life as possible. But feel free to hit your totals any way you can!

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