If you do one thing this week . . . pick up the pace when you walk

When you walk from A to B, do you tend to take a leisurely amble rather than striding along speedily?

It might be worth picking up the pace: brisk walking is associated with staving off the extra pounds in the longer term, according to a 2009 study from Harvard University.

The researchers looked at data from the Nurses Health Study II, and in particular at 46,754 premenopausal women in the US who filled in questionnaires about their health in 1989 and again eight years later.

In general, high levels of physical activity were linked with a lower risk of gaining weight over that period, and when it came to walking, speed seemed to have an impact. According to the authors of the study in the International Journal of Obesity, “Maintaining a brisk pace was found to be a significant predictor for weight-gain prevention, as opposed to maintaining an average or easy pace.”