Walking: The Simplest Daily Habit There Is

Walking gets dismissed because it is easy, which is exactly why it works. The best routine is the one still running in March.

What it does

• Engages the large leg muscles that sit along the longest lymphatic pathways.
• Breaks up the long still stretches that leave legs feeling heavy.
• Deepens breathing, which assists drainage from the chest upward.
• Requires no equipment, booking, or change of clothes.

Making it stick

Attach it to something fixed — after lunch, after the school run, before the first meeting. Twenty minutes daily beats an hour on Sunday, and a walk you take in bad weather beats a plan you abandon in it.