The Best Way to Spend 30 Minutes This Weekend—For Your Health and Your Happiness

Apartment Therapy Weekend Projects is a guided program designed to help you get the happy, healthy home you’ve always wanted, one weekend at a time. Sign up now for email updates so you never miss a lesson.

No one needs to tout the fact, here in the age of binge watching and sedentary smartphones, that we all could stand to move around a bit more.

There’s good news, though. Even “moderate exercise” reaps significant health benefits, and it’s not as strenuous as you’re thinking. Walking counts! It doesn’t only improve physical health; walking has also been shown to lessen depression, according to the American Psychological Association, and improve a whole host of risk factors related to cholesterol, blood pressure, diabetes, and mental stress, according to Harvard Health.

This weekend, we’re going to set aside 30 minutes and take a walk, or just get moving in some way. (If you have limited mobility, here are some alternative suggestions.)

We’re going to flip the switch from yeah, I really need to start walking to I took a walk, I enjoyed it, and I can totally do that again if I want.

Here are some tips for making your half-hour walk great:

• Wear walking shoes. You don’t have to wear an entire exercise outfit, but having good shoes will keep you comfortable and help you walk briskly.
• Listen to something. Podcast, audiobook, or music, walking is the perfect time to get lost in something out of the ordinary. If walking isn’t particularly appealing to you, listening can also make the time go by faster.
• Bring a buddy. Not only will you be helping someone else exercise, but you can also enjoy some quality together time. Co-worker, spouse, child, neighbor, or friend, a walking pal can take the activity from rote to companionable.

While you’re walking, notice how good it feels to step out of your routine and make time to literally set your own pace. Enjoy the different sounds, the change of scene, and the way your body feels. Remember that and think about doing it again sometime soon.

Hippocrates himself said that “walking is the best medicine.” How was your dose?

You can catch up with weekend projects right here. Share your progress with us and others by posting updates and photos on Instagram and Twitter with the hashtag #atweekendproject.

Remember: This is about improvement, not perfection. Each week you can either choose to work on the assignment we’ve sent you, or tackle another project you’ve been meaning to get to. It’s also completely okay to skip a weekend if you’re busy or not feeling the assignment