Slow Fitness: The Best Low Impact Walking Workouts

When it comes to getting in shape, it’s not always about putting your all in every time. While high intensity cardio workouts are an essential way of staying in shape, you also need to take things down a gear or two in order to give your body to build muscle strength and tone. If you’re on the search for something to incorporate on your off days, let walking be it. Toning, strengthening and gentle on the joints, the activity can boost your health more than you might have thought, helping you to get a better balance of wellness. These walking workouts can be easily incorporated into your current fitness setup, letting you kick back while still toning up your body!

1. The Lunchtime Stroll

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If you’re stuck in the office all day long, stretching your legs is always going to make you feel better. Using your lunchbreak in order to fit in a quick workout can help you to make more of your schedule but if you don’t have much time on your hands, you might feel at a loss of what to do. That’s where your walking workout comes in. Going for a stroll on your break is a great way to pump up your heartbeat and workout some of your key muscle groups. Make sure you follow the workout structure and you’ll be in good shape before you know it!

Start off by walking briskly for one minute, going at a faster pace than you would normally. For 30 seconds after this, bring your knees as high as you can to your chest, before returning to the original pace for another minute. Next, do 30 seconds of mountain climbers, bringing your left elbow across your body to your right knee and repeating on the other side. Repeat this process for a total of 10 minutes and stroll back to work.

2. The Treadmill Workout

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Even when you’re at the gym, you can use walking as a part of your routine in order to raise your heartbeat and give your leg muscles a better burn. Using the treadmill can offer you support and comfort, with the bounceback helping to keep your joints in good shape. For this workout, start off by walking at a brisk pace for one minute, faster than you would normally. Next, pick up the pace to between 3.5 and 4 miles an hour, continuing at this speed for another seven minutes. During this time, raise the incline on the machine gradually, making the process harder as you do. Start off at a 5% incline and raise it by 1% every minute, until you’re up to 8%. After 10 minutes, bring the pace back down to 3 miles per hour, level out your treadmill and slow down your heartbeat.

3. The Stair Climb

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Walking at an angle is a fantastic way to add resistance to your walking workout and burn even more calories as you go. Using your stairs at home can be all that it takes, helping you to tone up your body over a short period of time. To try the stair climb workout, start by walking up and then down a staircase at a comfortable pace. Next, pick up your pace as you walk up and down, walking up an additional flight of stairs if it’s possible. Continue the process of walking back up and down, holding on the handrail as you come down at a faster speed. Walk for a period of 10 minutes before slowing down the pace, taking your time with each step to cool down.

4. The Back Walk

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Walking backwards is a great deal more tricky than you might have thought. The activity uses a different set of muscles than we are used to and as a result, it can really create a burn in your muscles. Your body will work harder to stay balanced and ultimately, you will burn more calories. To try this workout, start off walking normally up and down a hill. Next, walk up the hill backwards, going as fast as you can while taking care not to fall. Walk briskly down the hill in the right direction before repeating the backwards incline once more, going as fast as possible. Keep repeating the process for 10 minutes, recovering by taking a final walk on a flat surface.