Low Stress Trainer

Putting it together

Sample weeks: walking, stretching and strength

Once walking feels comfortable, you can mix in stretching and a little strength work. These three sample weeks show one gentle way to combine them.

Three sample weeks

Each day shows a stack of stones: sage for walking, sand for stretching and blue for bodyweight moves. Wider stones mean more minutes. The totals at the right add up each week.

From a very gentle week to a fuller one
  1. Very gentleFor the first two or three weeks
    1. Monday: walk 10 minutes, stretch 5 minutes.
    2. Tuesday: rest.
    3. Wednesday: walk 10 minutes, bodyweight 5 minutes.
    4. Thursday: rest.
    5. Friday: walk 10 minutes, stretch 5 minutes.
    6. Saturday: stretch 5 minutes.
    7. Sunday: rest.
    50min this weekWalk 30Stretch 15Bodyweight 5
  2. Settling inOnce the gentle week feels easy
    1. Monday: walk 15 minutes, stretch 5 minutes.
    2. Tuesday: stretch 5 minutes.
    3. Wednesday: walk 15 minutes, bodyweight 10 minutes.
    4. Thursday: rest.
    5. Friday: walk 15 minutes, stretch 5 minutes.
    6. Saturday: walk 10 minutes, bodyweight 10 minutes.
    7. Sunday: rest.
    90min this weekWalk 55Stretch 15Bodyweight 20
  3. A fuller weekAfter a month or two of steady weeks
    1. Monday: walk 20 minutes, stretch 5 minutes.
    2. Tuesday: walk 10 minutes, stretch 5 minutes.
    3. Wednesday: walk 20 minutes, bodyweight 15 minutes.
    4. Thursday: stretch 10 minutes.
    5. Friday: walk 25 minutes, stretch 5 minutes.
    6. Saturday: walk 15 minutes, bodyweight 15 minutes.
    7. Sunday: rest.
    145min this weekWalk 90Stretch 25Bodyweight 30

These are examples. Your days can move around to fit your life, as long as you keep at least one full rest day and avoid strength sessions on back-to-back days.

When to move to the next week

  1. Stay on a week until it has felt comfortable at least twice in a row.
  2. Check the talk test: most walking should be at full-sentence effort.
  3. Check the next morning: mild tiredness is fine, lasting soreness is not.
  4. Move up one step, and expect the new week to feel a little harder at first.
  5. If it feels like too much, go back a week. That is part of the process.

Where the pieces come from

On busy weeks

Life gets in the way. When a week is packed, keep the short pieces and drop the rest. Two ten-minute walks and one stretch session still count. A partial week protects the habit, and the habit is what carries you through the months ahead.

After the fuller week

The fuller week adds up to about two and a half hours of movement, close to the Physical Activity Guidelines for Americans (health.gov) figure of about 150 minutes of moderate activity plus two strength days. From here, you can keep the routine as it is, which is a healthy place to stay, or ask a qualified professional for ideas if you want to try something new.

Your doctor's advice comes first. If they have given you limits on time, effort or particular moves, adjust these weeks to fit.

Common questions

Can I do a bodyweight session and a walk on the same day?

Yes. Walk first as a warm-up, then do the moves. Several days in the sample weeks combine the two.

What if I miss a day?

Skip it and carry on with the next planned day. There is no need to make it up, and doubling up the next day adds stress you don't need.