Everybody’s doing it, and they’re loving it! What are we talking about, and how can you join in on all the fun? We’re talking about walking workouts and the benefits of a 30-minute walking workout.

What are the Benefits of Walking Workouts?

Walking is touted as one of the best exercises you can do, and the benefits are numerous. There are more reasons to walk than there are not to walk. For example:

• First and foremost, walking is absolutely free! You can pretty much walk anywhere you please.
• It doesn’t get more convenient than walking, that’s for sure. You can literally walk almost anywhere, and you can start right at your front door (or, in some cases, right in your own home!).
• Walking requires no real equipment, aside from a good pair of walking shoes and some comfortable clothing.
• The simple exercise of walking can help relieve anxiety and depression.
• Walking will help strengthen the muscles in your body, including your core! And, if you want to show off some sexy, toned legs this summer, walking is your secret weapon!
• Want to lose body fat? Here you go! Walking burns calories and helps you keep your metabolism strong. That translates to extra fat burning and looking trim and fit with regular walking exercises.
• Walking is a weight-bearing exercise, so you’ll also strengthen the bones in your legs through walking. That’s great news for those prone to osteoporosis.
• Improve your health markers across the board. Reduce your blood pressure, improve your cholesterol, manage diabetes, get in better cardiovascular shape, and so much more.
• And, did we mention the benefit of stress relief?! Walking will give you the chance to clear your head and work off some stress so you can better face your day.

Try This 30-Minute Walking Workout

Whether you’re a beginner or a seasoned pro, walking can get you where you’re going, figuratively and literally.

It will be super helpful to wear some sort of activity tracker that can count your steps for you, like a Garmin watch, Apple Watch, Fit Bit, or other fitness device. A good goal is to hit 8,500 to 10,000 steps a day with your walking program or a combination of activities. Having a walking workout program like the one outlined below can help you achieve your step goals and more!

How to Get Started on a Walking Workout

Start slowly. If you’ve been sedentary for a while, you don’t want to overdo it and be stuck on the sidelines right away. Work your way up to walking the full 30 minutes by starting with 10 minutes and adding 5 minutes every time you go out.

You may want to start with every other day at first if you’re battling injuries or haven’t been exercising regularly.

What are your 30-minute walking workout options? You can walk outside, you can walk on a treadmill, or you can do an indoor walking program.

Walking outside is probably somewhat self-explanatory. You can walk in your neighborhood, try a local track, or find a park or place with nature trails. The important thing is to find a place you’ll enjoy walking and ensure it’s a safe walking area. Also, if you’re walking outdoors, it’s important to remember your safety. Walk with a friend, watch out for traffic, try to walk during daylight hours, and/or stay on the beaten path. Some folks even bring their furry friends along so they can both benefit.

If you opt for a local track or nature trails, you may need to drive to the location first. Make sure you build in the extra time to get to and from your location, and make sure to secure your belongings out of sight when you park.

Start Week 1 by simply walking (or working your way up to) the full 30 minutes.

During Week 2, you can start switching things up a bit. Walk at a leisurely pace for a five-minute warm-up. When you hit 5 minutes, ramp up to a brisk walk for 30 seconds. After the 30-second stint, go back to a normal walk for 90 seconds. Repeat this sequence until you reach the full 30-minute walk.

If you’re using a treadmill, simply use an interval training program or manually increase your speed.

During Week 3, if you feel like you can handle more, start with a 5-minute warm-up walk, and then do 30 seconds of forward lunges. Resume walking for 5 minutes and then do another 30- second round of forward lunges. Continue this sequence for the full 30 minutes.

If you’re using a treadmill, hit “pause,” jump off the treadmill, and do alternating lunges in place or body-weight squats for the 30 seconds. You can also simply crank up the incline on the treadmill for 30 seconds at a time to mimic the extra effort instead of disembarking from the treadmill.

In Week 4, you should be ready for anything! Simply aim to start with a 5-minute warm-up, followed by 30 seconds of some sort of exercise; you pick. Try inserting any of the following for a full 30 seconds:

• Body-weight squats
• Forward lunges
• Side lunges
• 30-second plank
• Arm circles
• Jumping rope
• Jumping jacks
• Burpees

You name it, you can do it in-between your walking intervals. Just pick something that will bump up your heart rate. Try to do at least one 30-second session for every 5 minutes of walking that you do.

Note: It’s also okay to split this 30-minute walking workout into two 15-minute sessions, three 10-minute sessions, or however you need to split things up, as long as it adds up to a full 30 minutes throughout the day.

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