(Related: The Benefits of Hiking, According to Experts)įor indoor walking workouts, upping the incline on the treadmill can (literally) elevate your workout by strengthening knee joints and activating your muscles more than when walking on a level surface. Finish with a stroll at a leisurely pace for five to 10 minutes. Then repeat the interval one or two more times. She also recommended taking a short break after the 15- to 20-minute interval to catch your breath and drink water. "You should be able to chat, but you should be breathing harder than normal," Nielsen said. Then hike at a moderate intensity for 15 to 20 minutes. If possible, find a hilly area or more challenging terrain. "This will get your muscles loose and your heart pumping," she said. Nielsen recommended going for a walk at a leisurely pace for five to 10 minutes. Hiking in particular, he said, is linked to increased mental and emotional well-being, decreased blood pressure, less stress, and a strengthened immune system, per research published in a 2016 issue of the American Journal of Lifestyle Medicine. " Research shows outdoor exercise provides greater feelings of revitalization, positive engagement, decreases in tension, anger, confusion, and frustration, and increases energy," Richey said.
To increase the health benefits of a walking workout, consider turning it into a nature hike. You can also replicate outdoor interval walking on the treadmill by increasing and decreasing the speed.
Lastly, Nielsen said to end this walking workout with a brisk cool-down walk similar to the warm-up walk of five to 10 minutes, which allows enough time to bring your heart rate back down. Think of the pace you’d walk if you’re about to miss your flight at the airport.Īlternatively, Richey suggested repeating a cycle of three minutes of walking at a high intensity followed by three minutes of a slower walk for a total of 30 minutes. "Then, kick things up a notch with five to 10 one-minute intervals of faster walking, followed by two minutes of easy walking to recover," she said.īy faster walking, she means a pace where you can barely talk and are pushing yourself out of your comfort zone. To do this walking workout, Nielsen recommended starting with a five-minute warm-up walk at a brisk pace - which she defines as a pace where you can talk comfortably with a bit of breathlessness - to get your muscles ready and your heart pumping. These benefits include increased VO2Max (meaning how much oxygen the body absorbs during exercise), improved glycemic control, and decreased body fat. faculty instructor, noted that according to research, a normally paced walk combined with bursts of high-energy walking provides more benefits than walking at a steady, continuous pace. One way to make a leisurely stroll around the neighborhood into a walking workout is by incorporating intervals. For all these reasons, consider adding these three trainer-approved walking workouts (including treadmill walking workouts) to your fitness routine. All you need is a pair of comfortable walking shoes. In addition, walking is one of the most inexpensive forms of physical activity. This may be in part because of increased physiological arousal (e.g. Other research suggests that walking supports mental health by boosting fatigue-related mood.
She added that going for a daily walk - or several - can also improve cognitive function and may even reduce your risk of developing Alzheimer's disease, per a report from a 2022 issue of JAMA Network. That said, don't underestimate the health benefits of walking at any intensity level - from strolling around the park to power walking through the neighborhood.Īccording to research, taking more steps every day was significantly associated with lower mortality rates, said Sierra Nielsen, I.S.S.A., C.P.T. These low-impact workouts (though still heart-pumping) are solid options for low-intensity days. On days when you want to dial back the intensity of your workouts, switch it up and try low-impact exercises, like walking workouts.
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