If there was a line between healthy and unhealthy for fitness, the minimum effective dose of exercise is where it would be. Getting enough exercise and enough of the four main types of exercise—HIIT, strength training/lifting, walking, and Zone 2 training—is important for our overall health,. Find out what the science-based research says about how to make sure you are hitting the minimum amount of each of these different types of exercise. Plus, learn why they’re important, how to do it, and the minimum essential gear to do it.

We know that walking is associated with everything to improved biomarkers like blood pressure, heart rate, and cholesterol as well as improved mood, yet the average American walks less than 4,000 steps per day. Based on research we can determine what the minimum effective dose of walking is in order to reap the health benefits. Hint: it’s not 10.000 steps.

Use this walking test to determine the 6* destructive things you may do when you walk that offer a glimpse into your health.