Once you can walk for an hour, several times a week, you can begin increasing the pace. There is a well-known technique called fartlek which can help you here.

This is a Swedish term and can be translated as "speed play". Runners widely use this technique during their training, and walkers can benefit from it as well. The main idea is combining several series of fast and normal-paced exercises after a warm-up.

Follow these steps during your next run:

• Warm up by walking at your normal pace for 15 minutes
• Increase your speed progressively and maintain that for 1 minute
• Decrease your pace to the level you had before and continue for 5 minutes
• Speed it up again and hold it for 2 minutes
• Now slow it down and maintain that pace for 5 minutes
• Start over again with the second step and proceed until the end of the workout.

Don't worry about exactly how many minutes you walk quickly or slowly; the basic idea of fartlek is to vary your pace. These directions are meant to give you the premise to design your walking plan.