Boost your step count and strengthen your arms with this trainer’s 30-minute walking workout

If you’re new to exercise in 2025, you don’t need to punish yourself with an unforgiving gym regime. You’re much more likely to stick with a routine if it’s easy, accessible and enjoyable. That’s where walking workouts can help.

This low-impact form of exercise can aid with everything from cardiovascular health to weight loss. You can do short 10-minute walking workouts as a kind of exercise snack or try longer 30-minute walking workouts, like the one below from trainer Olivia Lawson.

Lawson has included upper-body exercises in her latest 30-minute routine, which means you’ll get more bang for your buck, strengthening your arms and shoulders while also adding to your daily step count. Lawson wears a pair of light wrist weights to make the moves more effective, and while you don't need weights to feel the benefits, there are plenty of affordable options out there.

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How to do the workout

30 MIN NEW YEAR WALKING WORKOUT- Walk & Tone | Arms & Abs - YouTube

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This is a follow-along routine, so just press play on the video. There’s a warm-up at the start and several stretching exercises at the end too, which will improve your flexibility.

What are the benefits of this walking workout?

Walking workouts boost your step count in a short space of time—and a higher step count brings lots of benefits. Research suggests that doing just 4,000 steps a day is enough to reduce the risk of premature death, but a greater number of steps will lower that risk further.

Lawson’s workout provides benefits beyond this as she includes elements of upper-body strength training. She only uses light weights but the repetitive nature of the movements means that they will test your muscular endurance.

Be prepared to do some single-leg work, too, which will test your balance. The moves are also synced to music, which tests your coordination while encouraging you to keep pace.