This may work for some people, but not others. For me, nothing is as unpleasant as running. Back when I tried to forcd myself to do it as part of my gym routine, I was actively dreading it the moment I woke up, after a week or two. It took all my willpower every time to run another minute, another 100m, etc. No other exercise I tried is as unpleasant and demotivating to me.
Tried slow running, tried sprint+walk cycles, tried various combinations. Tried both treadmills and running outside. The sensation of being out of breath is just very unpleasant to me, and you always end up out of breath if doing any kind of running for more than a few minutes.
Sprinting was the least unpleasant actually, but only for a short while for the first time and only once/day.
Thankfully strength training is much more enjoyable, as is walking, so I'm relying on this combination. Plus some swimming occasionally.
Yes, this is super important! And, at least initially, stopping to walk is perfectly good too. Whatever pace and time it takes to not feel bad during or at the end of the run is what you should go for.
And you will be surprised how quickly you scale from wherever you begin.
