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Walk your way to fitness! These 4 workouts will get you moving every day
Most people think that working out and exercising are synonymous with running and painful, exhausting exercise sessions. Working out doesn’t just mean you have to drop and do ten pushups a hundred times a day (we wish we could do this) or sprint a few hundred metres every once in a while. We’re referring to feeling energetic, replacing bad habits with good ones, and even (dare we say) a slight improvement in self-confidence – all of which are achieved by working out and moving more.
You might not think it, but one of the most underrated forms of exercise out there is walking. It’s easy to do, doesn’t require any special equipment (just a good pair of walking shoes), and can be done pretty much anywhere, and at any time.
Walking is great for your physical and mental health. Image Credit: Shutterstock
Not only that, but regular walking has some fantastic health benefits as well. According to Harvard Health Publishing, just 30 minutes of moderate-intensity walking every day can help reduce your risk of heart disease, stroke, high blood pressure, type 2 diabetes, and breast and colon cancer. Walking can also improve your mental health by relieving stress and improving your mood. We definitely find this to be true!
So if you need a little extra motivation to get out there and start moving those feet every day then check out these four great workouts that are guaranteed to get you up and about in no time! We guarantee you won’t regret it.
Walking Workout #1: Use Hand Weights for an Upper Body Boost!
One simple way to make your walks more challenging (and fun!) is by bringing along a pair of light hand weights (1-1.5 kilos each should do the trick). While you walk at a brisk pace around the block or neighbourhood park, start doing a series of upper body exercises like hammer curls, lateral raises, and shoulder presses. Aim for 15 reps each; trust us when we say your arms will be feeling it later!
Walking Workout #2: Use Resistance Bands for an all-over tone-up!
If you want to work on toning up all over during your walks, then resistance bands are the way to go! You can pick these up cheaply from any major sports store or online retailer (even Kmart). During your walk, stop every 400 metres or so and perform a set of band squats. Here is a quick how-to guide:
Band Squats: Step on the centre of a resistance band with both feet about hip-width apart & hold the handles at shoulder height. Keeping core tight & glutes squeezed throughout the movement, lower into a squat until thighs are parallel with the ground before standing back up & repeating. Do 20 in total each time.
There are a lot of other great exercises you can do with your new resistance brands below:
Walking Workout #3: Stairs!
Okay, this one doesn’t need much of an introduction but using any stairs on your regular walk can be a great way to get your heart rate up. Even just one set of running up and down and then continuing on your regular route will leave you feeling more energised overall.
Walking Workout #4: Standing pushup.
Take up a regular pushup position with your body in a straight line parallel to a wall. Keep your arms locked and shoulders in line with your wrists, and legs together. Your core should be tight and your glutes squeezed. Slowly lower yourself until your chest comes close to or touches the wall. Try not to kiss the wall as you do this – it’s harder than you’d think! Bring your body back up by pushing through your arms and upper body until your arms are fully extended. Do this 10 times.
A cheeky fifth suggestion is walking with a group of friends. You get the social benefits as well as the physical and time will go much quicker on your walk.
As always, we are not medical professionals and changes to your lifestyle such as this should be discussed with a trusted medical professional like your GP. Once you’ve been given the all-clear, come back to this article and have some fun!
So, members, what do you think? Do you already include these exercises in your routine?
