Arterial stiffness is a major contributor to the development of atherosclerosis and consequently cardiovascular disease. This study aimed to examine whether 6 months of accumulated (3x10 minutes, 5 days/week) brisk walking was sufficient to reduce arterial stiffness in sedentary, overweight individuals. Seventy-seven individuals (19 men, 58 women; age 30 to 55 years) were randomly allocated to one of three groups; two groups completed 30 minutes of accumulated walking with either monthly or weekly telephone support; the third group (control) performed stretching exercises. The walking groups were combined and telephone support included as a covariate. Anthropometry, blood pressure (BP), blood lipids, pulse wave velocity (PWV), and NOx (surrogate marker for nitric oxide) were measured at baseline, post-intervention and 4 months post-intervention. No changes were observed for anthropometry, BP, or lipids. However, at the end of the intervention, there was a decrease in PWV (p < 0.001) accompanied by an increase in NOx (p < 0.001), with changes maintained 4 months post-intervention. A strong negative correlation between PWV and NOx was also observed (p < 0.001; r = -0.65). A lifestyle approach to meeting current physical activity guidelines results in favorable alterations in arterial function in overweight individuals.

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