If you really want to lose weight and feel better, getting started should be easier than you think. Many people get intimidated by the thought of going to the gym and radically changing your diet. While those might be great ideas, they mean nothing if the notion of an intense workout and diet prevent you from doing anything at all.

Start with the basics. Get off the couch and start walking!

When it comes to weight control, almost nothing is easier and cheaper than brisk walking.

Going for a walk every day can improve mood, increase energy, lower blood pressure and protect against diabetes, osteoporosis and cancer.

But to reap these benefits, you need to get the lead out and put some spring in your step.

It’s not window shopping or taking a stroll in the park. Walk like you’re late for the bus.

You should be able to carry on a conversation, but you’ll be a little breathless when you talk, says Miriam Nelson, director of the John Hancock Research Center on Physical Activity, Nutrition and Obesity Prevention at Tufts University in Boston.

Some of you may feel that you’re so out of shape that even brisk walking makes you nervous. Well, don’t feel like you have to walk like this from the beginning. Just get out of the house and walk around the block. Then, do it again in the next day or two, but walk a little further. Just moving a little will make you feel better, and then you’ll feel more excited about walking regularly and walking more briskly.

Check out the entire article for more information on how 3 MPH is the threshold for brisk walking.