‘The journey is a destination‘: At 80, Joanna Lumley’s simple step turns walking from a chore to an adventure – here’s how

Joanna Lumley has never seemed particularly interested in standing still.

At 80, she continues to act, travel and make documentaries. Asked about reaching the milestone birthday this year, she told HELLO!: ‘80 is the same as 85 or 60 or 90. It doesn’t mean much to me because I’m still walking, working and operating.’

Often, all at once. In her numerous travel shows she has walked sections of the historic Nakasendo Way in Japan, explored classical Greek ruins on foot and navigated the rugged terrain of the spice trail from Indonesia to the Middle East. In an interview with The Independent, she described ‘strolling through the Swiss Alps’ as one of her happiest holidays, named Dumfriesshire one of her favourite places for its ‘gorgeous walks and wild winds’ and summed by her travel philosophy thus: ‘the journey is a destination in itself.’

We can’t all host TV shows and yet… there’s a strategy here that is more widely applicable. Daily constitutional leaving you bored? Try giving your walk a destination instead. Sure it might be a new local café instead of a Bedouin tent, or an intriguing church instead of a Mayan temple. But never mind. The aim is simply to turn movement from to-do-list-task into a bona fide outing.

Why walking is worth making time for

The UK Chief Medical Officers’ guidelines suggest adults should aim for at least 150 minutes of moderate-intensity activity each week. Brisk walking absolutely counts. In fact, they stress, ‘any activity is better than none’ and benefits are still available below the 150-minute target.

An analysis in the European Journal Of Preventive Cardiology found that as few as 2,337 steps a day began to lower the risk of dying from heart and circulatory diseases, while a Harvard study concluded that reaching 4,000 steps on just one or two days a week was linked with a 27% lower risk of dying from a heart attack or stroke.

For older adults, UK guidelines recommend starting gradually, gently building from your current level towards that 150-minute goal, alongside activities that maintain strength, balance and flexibility on at least two days.

The simplest way to judge a moderate pace is the talk test, says Kim Hawley, Good Housekeeping’s fitness expert. You should be able to talk but not sing while walking. If that feels too demanding, slow down. If you can belt out an aria, speed up.

How to turn a walk into an adventure

1. Start with a destination that feels genuinely appealing. It doesn’t have to be ambitious. A bakery, library or bench with a good view will suffice.
2. Now choose a route that adds interest. You might walk through a different neighbourhood, follow a river, look for a particular type of architecture or plan a route around a local museum or gallery. Destination too far away? Hop on a bus for one leg and walk the rest.
3. Once a route becomes familiar, add in a small challenge. Take a slightly hillier route, walk for an extra 10 minutes or include a few short stretches at a brisker pace.
4. Run out of new routes? Turn familiar ones into a social appointment and invite a friend.
5. Pack a notebook. Start to chronicle your walks and the things you see around the way. The point is not to recreate one of Lumley’s epic journeys but to borrow her sense of curiosity. A walk does not need to be spectacular to be worthwhile; it simply needs to take you somewhere.

As the Chief Medical Officers’ guidance puts it, lasting change is most likely when activity is ‘enjoyable, or useful, or part of everyday routines’. A destination can help make walking all three.

A simple walking challenge to try

For the next week, plan three walks with three different destinations:

• A place you have never visited
• A favourite spot reached by a new route
• Somewhere useful (a shop or library)

Keep the pace comfortable and the distance manageable. You may find that the most effective fitness plan isn’t the one that feels most like exercise. It’s the one that gives you a reason to put on your shoes and see what’s around the corner.