I work from home and often struggle to find the time to move, which is why I’m such a fan of indoor walking workouts. There are plenty of online routines that can help, like this 3,000-step workout by Rick Bhullar, but if you’re really short on time then this quick 10-minute one by Pamela Reif is an easy way to get 1,000 steps closer to your daily goal.
What I love about this video is that it gets your arms involved, including plenty of overhead movements that increase your heart rate more than just exclusively lower-body movement would. It’s a super high-energy and fun circuit that requires some coordination too, which helps make the time fly. Here’s what I discovered after giving it a try.
How to do this 1,000-step workout
What I learned from doing this 1,000-step cardio workout
Even a short workout is a great stress buster
It’s easy to think that there’s no point doing a short workout, but research shows that even brief bursts of physical activity, sometimes called exercise snacks, can significantly lower stress levels and boost mood by releasing feel-good endorphins in the brain. I noticed that I felt less stressed at the end of this workout, despite it only taking 10 minutes.
Walking workouts boost bone health
Weight-bearing exercise like walking is good for bone health because it stimulates osteoblasts—the cells that form new bones. If you are in your 40s or older and, like me, want to avoid developing osteoporosis, then this quick workout is worth trying. Daily steps are an important protective factor for bone health, particularly in older women. A study published in the Preventative Medicine journal found that older women who took 10,000 steps or more a day have healthier bones than those who took fewer than 6,000 daily steps.
When I’m tired, I’m going to do this step workout for a quick energy boost
When I’m running on empty, I know that exercise is one thing I can do to get a much-needed energy boost. Working out increases blood flow, which sends more oxygen to the muscles and brain, and can leave you feeling energised. So walking workouts, particularly aerobic ones like this, are a quick and easy way to boost energy levels because it gets the blood flowing. I can confirm that at the end of 10 minutes of this walking workout I felt a lot more energetic and ready to carry on with my busy day.
