Fit Tip: Walking Workout

Posted On May 11, 2020 By Carolyn Gallagher

A woman walking fast outside.

In my last blog I shared with you some of the benefits of getting out into the sunshine during these stressful times. Now I want to give you some ideas on how to make those walks a bit more challenging.

On one hand, a walk can be slow, relaxing, and something you need to do to feel centered and calm. On the other hand, it can be a great workout while also soaking up many of the other benefits.

  • Pick up the pace! Time your walks and set new goals throughout the week. You can get home sooner OR go farther in the same amount of time.
  • Do 10 step-ups or split squats on every bench or high curb you encounter.
  • Do 10 bodyweight squats at every corner.
  • Bring 2 water bottles to use as weights to get your arms working too. (or 1-3 pound weights if you have them)
  • Intervals: Walk 2 blocks, jog 1 block, walk 2 blocks and repeat. As it gets easier do 1 walk to 1 jog.
  • Incline: Find hills, even if they're small, take a more challenging route. Even a small hill will challenge your legs and core.
  • Stairs: Schools, parks and neighborhood stairs are a great workout! Run or jog up and walk down repeat as many times as you can keeping in mind your journey home.
  • Just for fun! Create a scavenger hunt list and send it to your friends and family. Set a day and time for everyone to head out safely in their own neighborhoods. Take pictures and/or videos as you find what's on the list. 1st person(s) to find everything on the list wins. An entry fee of a few dollars could be rewarded to the winner if you want to make it interesting.

Have kids that you're trying to keep healthy and happy? Try neighborhood BINGO or a scavenger hunt. I did this with my 11-year-old this week and it was a pretty big success. I made bingo cards with items we would find in our area. It really kept him engaged that even when he had a bingo he decided we would just find everything on the list. We ended up walking 2.5 miles and we both had a blast. The next day I just created one big list in my phone and we went the opposite direction. If you have a bigger family you could also split into teams and make it more of a challenge.

Remember to not only stay 6 feet away from others but keep your hands off of all foreign surfaces. I know workouts on playground equipment and pushups on benches etc seem fun but we must keep our hands to ourselves.

Slow the Curve, and always Crush it!