Question re walking and fitness

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I am overweight and very unfit. I have arthritis in my knee and when I walk anywhere it hurts and I get out of breath, so I give up. I realised the other day that when I do walk I push myself to go as fast as I can, which gives me that horrible tight feeling in my chest. I think I do it as I keep reading that for walking to be of benefit you have to walk at a fast pace. For me this is counterproductive. My question is, if I were to slow down to the point I don't get a painful chest and knee and walked for 20 minutes a day, would this gradually improve my fitness, so I could walk faster or for longer. I know I won't get really fit doing this, but I guess I'm asking is it really no pain no gain and is there any merit to walking at a slower pace so that it's more comfortable?

Walking is great exercise! You don't have to push yourself to the point of pain or discomfort just build it up gradually, get a fitness tracker with the heart rate monitor and use an app to track your progress.
As you go on you'll be able to see that your heart rate is lower for the same amount of exertion and that shows that you're getting fitter.

I only know about arthritis in horses and for my elderly arthritic mare, low level activity is essential to maintaining her mobility. A stable would be the worst place for her, keeping moving is by far the best thing (the vets agree) so on that basis gentle walking is perfect for arthritis.

it's great that you are taking the initiative.

walking is great and you recognise you need to go slower.
any exercise is good but if your limit is 20 min then that's ok.

I like the concept of exercise 'snacking'. a few minutes here and there throughout the day. take the stairs instead of the escalator/lift for a couple of flights. park at the far end of yhe car park and walk further. do a few dance moves or stretches (bbc good morning has great 1 minute workouts).

all the best

A goal is a good idea @Atishoos and I lave the idea of catching Pokemon @Knotaknitter 😁. Thanks to everyone else as well, it's been a very supportive thread and I'm glad I posted as it's given me some confidence.