Fat-Burning Indoor Walking Workout With Denise Austin
Light marching in place: Get your heart rate up and blood flowing for 2-3 minutes. Engage your core by keeping your abs pulled in slightly.
Arm circles: Forward and backward circles for 30 seconds each direction. This loosens up your shoulders and upper body.
Leg swings: Swing each leg forward and backward for 30 seconds each, keeping your core engaged and your other leg stable. This warms up your hamstrings, quads, and glutes.
Main Workout (20-30 minutes):
This is where you’ll alternate between different walking variations to keep things interesting and target different muscle groups. Here’s a sample structure:
Power walking: Walk briskly for 2-3 minutes, focusing on a tall posture, long strides, and pumping your arms.
Walking lunges: Take a large step forward, lowering your back knee towards the ground. Push through your front heel to return to standing and repeat with the other leg. Do this for 30 seconds to 1 minute.
Side shuffles: Shuffle side-to-side for 30 seconds to 1 minute, keeping your core engaged and your back straight.
Walking high knees: Walk with a high knee lift for 30 seconds to 1 minute, focusing on engaging your abs and core.
Walking butt kicks: Run in place with your heels kicking your glutes for 30 seconds to 1 minute.
Repeat: Go through this circuit 2-3 times, adjusting rest periods as needed.
Cool-down (5 minutes):
Slow walking: Walk slowly for 2-3 minutes to bring your heart rate down.
Static stretches: Hold gentle stretches for your major muscle groups like quads, hamstrings, calves, shoulders, and chest for 15-30 seconds each.
Intensity:
To maximize fat burning, aim for a moderate intensity level where you can hold a conversation but can’t sing a song. You should be slightly out of breath but still able to talk.
You can increase the intensity by adding incline (walking on stairs or using an inclined treadmill), using light weights (small dumbbells or ankle weights), or shortening rest periods.
Progression:
As your fitness improves, gradually increase the duration of your workout, the intensity of your walking variations, or the number of circuits you complete.
Bonus:
You can find many free guided indoor walking workouts on YouTube that provide visuals and coaching throughout the routine.
Remember, listen to your body and take rest days when needed. This is a sample routine, so feel free to adjust it based on your fitness level and preferences. Happy walking!