It's no great secret that walking is good for us. It can boost our cardio fitness, improve our mood and keep our joints healthy. You don't need to hit 10,000 steps a day to reap the benefits of walking, either; recent research shows that walking as few as 3,867 steps daily can lower your mortality risk. A quick 30-minute walking workout can burn a surprising amount of calories too, if you're trying to lose weight.
Emma Simarro, founder of Building Body Confidence, is a big fan of walking—but she says you can get more from your stroll if you dial up the pace and add in some exercises.
"Walking workouts can improve your cardiovascular fitness and endurance. Adding intensity through a workout also helps preserve muscle mass and improves muscular endurance, which is essential as we age," she says.
Simarro has created this 30-minute walking workout exclusively for Fit&Well. Combining speed walking intervals and a walking circuit, she says this routine can help you clock up to 6,000 steps—all from the comfort of your home.
Emma Simarro is a women’s health coach and founder of Building Body Confidence. She holds a Level 3 Personal Training qualification and through her coaching, she educates women on the benefits of strength training. Simmaro sees walking as the perfect springboard for other forms of exercise as a person’s confidence and fitness grow.
How to do the 30-minute walking workout
This walking workout is split into four sections: a warm-up, a power walk, dynamic exercises and a cool-down.
To guide your effort, Simarro uses the Rate of Perceived Exertion (RPE) scale from one to 10, where zero is complete rest and 10 is maximum effort. The workout ranges from gentle (RPE three to four) to more challenging (RPE eight to nine).
The walking workout:
- Warm-up for 3 minutes: Begin walking. Prepare your body for movement, gradually increasing your RPE from three to four, finishing at around six to seven.
- Power walk for 5 minutes: Alternate between 30 seconds of power walking (RPE eight to nine) and 30 seconds of recovery (RPE four).
- Perform dynamic exercises for 20 minutes: Perform the five dynamic exercises listed below for 40 seconds each followed by a 20-second rest. Aim for RPE seven to eight and complete four rounds.
- Cool down for 2 minutes: Slow down to a gentle stroll to bring your heart rate down, aiming for an RPE of four to five.
Dynamic exercises
- High knee march: Stand tall and engage your core. Lift one knee above your hips while driving your opposite arm forward. Alternate sides.
- Sidestep: From standing, step one foot out to the side and move your other foot to join it. Repeat in the other direction.
- Sidestep and squat: Start with your feet at hip-width distance, then step to the side and squat. Return to standing then repeat on the other side.
- Reverse step: Come to a shallow squat, with your knees softly bent. Step one foot back, tapping your toe on the floor before returning to your starting position.
- Heel to buttock kick: Stand tall and draw one heel up to your bum. Repeat on the other side.
Trainer tips: To get the most out of your walking workout, Simarro recommends standing tall and engaging your core by gently pulling your belly button toward your spine.
"Think about your breathing too," she adds. "As you breathe out, re-engage your core muscles and use your arms to generate power from the shoulders, keeping them close to your body and elbows bent to 90 degrees."
