If walking is your exercise of choice, reduce your risk of injury and split your trek into three stages: warming up, speeding up and cooling down.

The U.S. National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases suggests:

• Walking slowly to warm up.
• After a few minutes, speed it up to a brisk pace. You should feel your heart rate rise but you should still be breathing and speaking easily.
• Cool down by walking slowly for the last few minutes of your workout. Also practice slow, gentle stretches as part of your cool down.

Source: HealthDay