11 Walking Workouts for Your Body and Your Soul

It you ever feel you need to relax, recharge your battery and get in better shape, but just haven't found the time, the answer might be simpler than you think. Walking can be an amazing exercise for anyone who wants a quick pick-me-up for the body and brain, as well as for everyone who wants to maintain a healthy and fit life style. Even a daily 10-minute stroll can do wonders and give you a great feeling for up to 12 hours. Whether you want to burn fat, boost energy, lift your mood, or just get a bit more toned in a few important places, we have the workouts and tips for you.

High-Intensity Walks: You could go down a size (or more) this month by adding high-intensity walks to your weekly schedule. Simply go out for a 10-minute routine of fast, high-intensity, walks on 3 non-consecutive days a week. During the rest of the week you can do moderate-intensity activities for about 30 minutes per day. These walks will work even better before or after other cardio workouts and as always, the more you workout, the better you'll feel. Treadmill Slimmer: It's too cold outside? It's too hot outside? Your favorite TV show just started? Treadmills are the answer to all of those. No need to worry about weather, darkness or anything else, just worry about yourself. Another bonus of the treadmill is that you can see your progress in speed and distance which will help you get more motivated. Here is a great half an hour workout that can burn more than 150 calories: (1 MPH = 1.6 KPH) Walking Sprint: Start by warming up with a 5 minutes walk at normal speed, then walk as fast as you can for 10 minutes (but don’t run). Note how far you went and turn around, walking back to your starting point at a brisk pace. When walking back, your speed should be lower than your walking sprint and you should slow down as you get closer to your starting point. Each time you do this workout, try to walk faster and go farther than you did last time, until you are happy with your time and distance. The Weekend Walk: This 60+ minute workout can crank up your post-exercise calorie burn nearly fivefold compared with a 30-minute walk or other short exercises. And did I mention that you will burn nearly 350 calories during the walk itself? Plan your route so you will enjoy your surroundings and even meet up with friends, nothing is better than some company of long walk this. And don’t forget to bring some water with you!

Belly-Busting walk: You can add this simple change to your daily walks to zero in on shaping your abs. The recommended time for this workout is about 10 minutes at first, adding more time as you begin to feel it isn't too taxing on you. When walking, focus on drawing your abs in toward your spine, but don’t hold your breath. It might help to imagine that your legs extend up above your navel. Try to maintain the contraction throughout your walk. If you feel it's too much, release it for a short break while still walking, and resume after a minute or two.  The slight hip swivel will make your lower torso rotate, activating more ab muscles and burning more calories. Happiness Walk: This workout has a lot to do with your mind and not just your body, combine these easy steps in your walk and you will be much more calm and relaxed when you are done. 1) Focus on your feet, imagine the firm ground beneath you as each foot rolls from heel to toe with each step you take. Try to keep this awareness of your steps for 2 to 3 minutes and not to get distracted. 2) Turn your attention to breathing. As you walk, lift your torso and pull your shoulders back to stand upright and increase lung capacity. As you inhale, think of the energy you are giving your body and your mind, then exhale all of the tiredness and pain. 3) Mentally speak to yourself, think about the fresh air and healthy workout you are doing. focus on the good things and if you find yourself wondering off into bad territory, just go back to focusing on your feet. Nature Walk: In just 5 minutes, mother nature can work wonders on your mood and physical well being. If possible, go for short lunchtime strolls in parks or mountain areas. It has been found that it will improve your memory and attention 20% more than a walk in an urban environment, due to fewer distractions and cleaner air. Walking with Poles: A good pair of walking poles will cost you about $90 and up but it may boost your calorie burn by up to 46%. Not only will you be giving your arms a workout, but the poles also reduce impact on your joints.

Outdoor challenge: It not shocking to hear that walking uphill can activate 25% more muscle fibers than just strolling on a level terrain. It might be harder, but that why it's called a challenge. Find a hill to add to your walk, preferably one that takes at least 2 to 2½ minutes to climb, and try this workout. First warm up at an easy walking pace for 5 to 10 minutes and then walk up and down the hill. After you return to level terrain, do 2 minutes of brisk walking and go back to the hill climb. Repeat the hill and level walk for your desired workout length and finish it up with 5 minutes of easy walking to cool down.

Treadmill Hike: If you have no hills or tracks near your home then this treadmill routine can give you the same fat burning experience of an uphill walk in just 25 minutes.(1 MPH = 1.6 KPH) Indoor Leg Workout: If you don’t have a treadmill, and you don’t really want to buy one either, then you can just as easily use the stairs at your home to get a good workout. The routine takes about 5 minutes and can be performed daily: 1. Start by walking up and down one flight normally. 2. Slowly walk up sideways, crossing bottom foot over top, walk down normally and repeat facing the opposite direction. Try to keep your head up while doing this but also be careful not to fall over. 3. Step up on the first stair, then down, starting with right foot (right up, left up, right down, left down). Do this for about 10 times, take a moment to breath and repeat, starting with the left foot. 4. Climb the stairs two steps at a time and go down normally but quickly, using each step. 5. Run up the stairs and walk down normally. 6. Repeat numbers 4 and 5 another four times. 7. At the bottom, place your right foot on the first or second step, bend your knees, and lower into a lunge. Keep the right knee directly over the ankle as you do so. Push off with right foot to return to start. Repeat with your left leg and then alternate legs until you do 20 lunges total. 8. Walk up and down normally one time to relax and do some stretching.