Indoor Walking Routine – An Underrated Workout For Better Health

Let’s face it, it’s rare to hear of someone treating walking as a workout. Often people take walking for granted and will spend most of their time sitting around and end up overeating. Cold weather adds more to this process because some of us simply don’t like taking walks in chilly weather. 

Yet, you shouldn’t allow inclement weather to cause you to be inactive. 

Staying active, even 15 minutes a day, makes a difference and could benefit your well-being. Besides that, walking is the most popular, simplest, and affordable form of exercise. A regular walking routine lowers the risk of many health issues and can improve your mood. 

Physical activity also adds extra years to your life, help you maintain or lose weight, and makes you more mobile and flexible (3).

Therefore, indoor walking is a crucial topic, especially for seniors who don’t want to walk outdoors or don’t live in areas with safe trails and sidewalks. This article could be the first excellent step in incorporating an indoor walking routine – an underrated workout for better health. 

Note, before you begin your exercise routine, talk to your doctor about your physical fitness goals, especially as a senior. Wear comfortable clothes and well-fitted shoes to avoid slipping and injury. Drink plenty of water, and be sure to get cleared by your doctor for exercise. Once you’re ready, get moving with the following exercise ideas.

Is Indoor walking a good workout?

Indoor walking routine for beginners is booming among all ages of individuals. Striving for 10,000 steps per day is not necessary. Recent research suggests that even step counts between 4,000-10,000 steps can yield significant health improvements (6). 

People with certain health conditions, as well as seniors, might reap health-boosting benefits through daily walking routines. Without further discussion, let’s look at the potential pros of indoor strolling. 

1. Versatility and customized exercise. Seniors can get bored walking the same route every day. By using in-home walking routines,  seniors can try different stream live walk-at-home workouts so that they are performing a different workout with different movements to invigorating music. 

This helps them customize strolling low-impact workouts to their abilities: if they need to slow down, they can; if they need to take a break, they do it. Or, if they want to walk faster or implement weights to ramp up their workout, they can do that too. An in-home walking workout allows adults and seniors to do comfortable activities at their own pace, which helps seniors avoid injuries.

1. Ability to work out solo or with a group. Indoor walking routine for seniors does not apply to practicing everything on your own – you can watch a streaming indoor walking practice at home or even invite a trainer with your pals to your house. Exercising with others can increase motivation and make the experience more enjoyable.
2. Free-of-charge exercise. Indoor walking, similar to Outdoor Exercises, requires no money at all. You simply engage your body in flexible movements without any fancy equipment. Believe us – your body is the only fancy equipment needed at this point. 
3. No safety hazards for seniors. Obviously, there might be outdoor hazards for older people: you could trip and fall on the sidewalk, slip on wet ground, miss a curb, or sprain your ankle on some object. Home walking reduces the risk of injuries and seniors can stop this activity if they need to rest or sit down. 

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When it comes to other potent walking benefits, we need to highlight the following pros: 

• Walking engages the legs, glutes, and numerous other muscles that work together to promote balance.
• Walking boosts circulation, which can help lower your blood pressure.
• Walking makes your legs stronger.
• Walking improves your metabolism and helps burn excess calories that over time can help alleviate pressure on joints.
• Walking is a low-impact exercise that promotes joint health (4).

Walking can reduce knee pain. The study in 2022, published in Arthritis & Rheumatology, involved people ages 50 and older with osteoarthritis in their knees. It concluded that those who walked regularly had less frequent knee pain (2).

A sedentary lifestyle and constant work at your desk are the key reasons for lower back pain. Therefore, not only seniors but also younger individuals deal with it. Research suggests that walking might help relieve pain in your lower back (5).

Some people need a 30-day indoor walking routine to make it a habit, while others require a few days. No matter what, keep trying, as the overall benefits of walking indoors are well worth your time and energy. 

Does the 28-day indoor walking challenge really work?

Yes, if you’re fully committed to the 28-day indoor walking challenge, you’re due to reap the primary benefits. The following challenge is specific, as it involves walking for a designated period each day. It’s measurable because you track your progress by monitoring the number of steps or distances. 

It’s accessible and realistic, as you can fit it into your daily schedule without honing any special skills or equipment. Lastly, you are given a certain time frame of 28 days, which gives you a clear end goal and motivation to stay committed.

Can walking be done inside the house?

Yes. Walking inside can be as effective as walking outside. A regular walking routine will help you increase your heart rate and circulation. Taking an indoor walk is an effective mental health booster and a great way to improve your posture. 

Many people incorporate in-place and around-the-house strolling. This is the kind of walking that can be performed inside your house in one spot. 

Essentially, you need to be wearing comfortable clothing and shoes so that you can move in the full range of motion. Additionally, make sure you’re hydrated enough and take breaks if you feel like it. There is nothing wrong with allowing yourself to relax. 

How to do an indoor walk?

Surely, there are different ways of getting started with indoor walking. Spoiler: your house is only one of them. We’re offering the 5 practical ways for an enjoyable indoor walk. Before starting a great indoor walking routine you need to: 

1. Talk to your doctor before starting an indoor walking adventure.
2. Set a goal by determining what you want to achieve: Are you aiming to lose weight, build leg strength, or ease back pain? 
3. Find a good space in your house: choose a suitable area where you can perform your walking activities.  
4. Plan your strolls: Decide on how long you’ll be walking and their frequency. Starting from 10-15 minutes a day will be an excellent pinpoint. 
5. Slip on the comfy shoes: invest in suitable sneakers that provide essential support and cushioning. 
6. Warm-up: Before engaging in your indoor-walking routine, make sure you’ve stretched and warmed up the muscles by marching in place.
7. Track your progress: If you want to complete any challenge, you need to monitor your progress. Use a fitness tracker or journal to record your walks.

Alternated in place and Around the House Strolling

Some people prefer to walk in place. Here’s the simple technique: 

• March in one place at a quick pace for 1 minute. 
• Then walk around your house for 1-2 minutes. 
• Return to marching in place for 1 minute. 
• Repeat this cycle for 10-15 minutes, increasing as you progress. 

The idea of walking in place may seem a tad monotonous, therefore, it’s always a good idea to put some variety in them. 

If you have stairs, use them as an additional challenge. 

Mall walking

You may also try mall walking. Mall walking offers a more social atmosphere than an indoor track. 

Walk with friends or on your own, window shop, and grab a coffee at the coffee shop. You may feel more secure in a mall away from traffic, and have access to restrooms and water.

However, since the floors are usually underlain with concrete, you may need to wear a more cushioned shoe. 

Read more: Indoor Cycling Workout Plan – A Dynamic Program for Every Rider

Get on the Treadmill

Unlike the previous ways, this one is not free, as you will have to purchase a treadmill (unless gifted to you). A treadmill is the kind of exercise machine where you don’t need to learn anything new: you just turn it on and move your legs. You adjust the speed to what’s  most comfortable for you, and look – you’re making progress. 

You can hone your walking form by controlling the speed without having to navigate curbs and obstacles. If you do not have enough room to store a treadmill, consider buying the folding one. 

Indoor video walking

Such videos are designed for those with limited space to get walking exercise without a treadmill. All you need to do is clear a space in front of your laptop or TV, play the video, and start moving. 

The trainer in the video will lead you through separate movements, starting with marching in place along with side steps, kicks, and knee lifts. Such workouts burn more calories but require a bit more coordination. 

Indoor Walking Combined With Bodyweight and Stretching Exercises

Strength exercises mixed with indoor walking may prevent age-related muscle loss, keep your bones strong, and improve mobility. This includes push-ups, wall push-ups, crunches, and leg squats (3). 

Stretching should be done before and after the indoor walking routine. Stretching Exercises can help with joint flexibility, keeping you active and independent. Seniors should aim to stretch their major muscle groups at least twice a week (3). 

If you’re an avid workout beast, aiming to jazz up your in-house exercising, you can try the Indoor Cycling Workout Plan – also an award-winning way to keep your body moving and your heart pumping. 

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FAQs

• Does indoor walking help lose belly fat?

An indoor walking routine for weight loss can help you shed extra calories including your belly fat. Studies suggest that regular brisk walking is one of the effective ways to lose belly fat (8). You can incorporate brisk walking into your indoor strolling routine by taking faster walks around your house. In addition, participating in moderate-intensity exercise like walking can enhance your mood, giving you more motivation to be active in the long term.

• Can I walk around my room for exercise?

Of course, you can. Moving around your room is as effective as walking outdoors. Your body doesn’t care where you move, your body just wants to be moved by you. Try to walk at least 15 minutes a day. 

If you happen to work at your desk, make sure you stand up every 1-2 hours and move around. This simple trick can help you alleviate your back pain. Also, you may master your mundane room walking with marching in place and strength training exercises.

• Is just walking enough exercise?

It depends on your overall goals. If you’re aiming to lose weight faster, you might need to add cardio and strength training to your fitness regimen. 

Nonetheless, walking is celebrated for being an excellent form of exercise that fits people of all ages and fitness levels.

• Is walking in place as good as regular walking?

Yes, walking on the spot can be as effective as regular walking: it burns calories, it’s free, it can be done everywhere, it’s easy and low-impact, it requires no additional equipment, and it fits in the busy schedule. 

The Bottom Line

You have just gone over the key points about an indoor walking routine – an underrated workout for better health.

This form of exercise is good for your health as it improves your metabolism, boosts blood circulation, promotes bone health, makes your legs stronger, and engages versatile muscle groups. 

Indoor walking is particularly beneficial for seniors who suffer from back and knee pain. On top of that, indoor walking is free, accessible, and convenient. It can be done inside your house, a shopping mall, or any area where you feel safe.

There are various strategies to welcome an indoor walking routine into your life: treadmill walking, alternating walking in place and around the house, mall walks, indoor video walking, and indoor walking intermixed with stretching and bodyweight exercises. 

Note that seniors need to consider talking to their doctor, before they plan an indoor walking regimen.