With the rise of fitness trackers, many people have realized the importance of walking. In order to be your healthiest self, you need to eat well, exercise, and be active in your daily life.
Daily activity obviously comes in the form of walking! The average person should walk 10,000 steps a day.
For some people that is an easy task – they walk their dog, move a lot a work, and run around with their toddlers. For others it can be extremely challenging – they sit all day at work, and have no pets keeping them active. But regardless of how easy it is, we all have to get those steps in!
On paper, working out and walking daily can seem like a lot. This is especially true for beginners. So today I am going to give you all some suggestions on how to make your walk more of a workout. This way you can multitask and have a shorter to-do list.
The first way you can make your walk more intense is by switching up the environment that you walk in. Walking around a flat park is good, but if you want to push yourself a little bit more, it’s time to switch it up. Try moving your walk to the beach; the sand will force your muscles to work double time. Another option is walking in water. The current (either from the ocean or man-made) will be an extra challenge. More options include walking in a hilly area or a place with stairs. Depending on where you live some of these options may be more attainable than others. But there is always a way to switch it up!
Another way to amp up your walk is by adding weights. This is the perfect way to get upper body training in while working on your daily step goal. Grab some light weights and do a combination of the following exercises: cross body punches, bicep curls, static bicep curl, alternating shoulder presses, and lateral raises. Doing all of these exercises for a minute a piece, 2-3 times will not only help distract you from a mundane walk, but it will also kill your arms!
Finally, the third way to make your walk a workout is by actually making it a workout. Stop every few minutes during your walk to do lunges, squats, or other exercises that don’t take up too much space. If you don’t have time to get to the gym… this is a great option for you. There are many exercises that you can do without any equipment. Pause your walk every few minutes to do a quick circuit and then get back into it.