How to Walk for Exercise without Leaving Home

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By Aldene Fredenburg
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Find a place in your home that allows you a clear path to walk.

Walking is about the easiest and best exercise there is: it helps with weight loss, strengthens the heart, lungs, and muscles, and as a weight-bearing exercise helps protect against osteoporosis. Walking regularly can also lessen or completely eliminate insomnia.

But it’s not always easy to find the time or place to walk. Rainy or icy weather, dangerous neighborhoods, and hazardous road conditions can really get in the way of a regular walking regimen. And if you’re recovering from a bout of the flu or another illness, you may not have the stamina to begin a serious walking program.

Here is how to establish the habit of walking in a way that doesn’t depend on the weather, the neighborhood, or your own physical strength. It’s as easy as finding a clear path in your own home. (For another creative way to exercise and lose weight, see the link to my article “How to Lose Weight with Photography” in the Resources section, below.)

Difficulty: Easy

Instructions

Things You'll Need:

walking shoes
socks
house or apartment
clock or watch
TV (optional)
CD/cassette player and music (optional)

Step 1

Choose a room, or adjoining rooms, in your home that allow you a clear path to walk. It doesn’t have to be longer than the equivalent of ten or fifteen steps. If you need to move furniture out of the way, do so.
Step 2

A set of stairs will provide an extra challenge, and is cheaper than a Stair Stepper.

Set up a clock in the room, or wear a watch to time your walk. (As an alternative, turn on your TV or a radio or CD player.)
Step 3

Start walking, using the clock, watch, TV program, or music to time your walk.
Step 4

If you’re out of shape, start out with five minutes a day, then move to ten, then fifteen, and so on, until you are walking a half-hour to an hour a day. (If you’re seriously out of shape or recovering from an illness, you may want to do one or two laps a day, then increase gradually.

Tips & Warnings

Add more of a challenge to your exercise regimen by adding some stairs.
Walk for up to an hour at least three days a week. Do it in one session, or divide it up into two 30-minute walks or three 20-minute walks.
Get some mini barbells and perform some simple arm exercises as you walk.
Wear wrist and ankle weights to burn more calories and give your muscles a harder workout.
Vary your speed: walk at a comfortable pace for a few minutes, then speed up for two or three laps, then go back to your comfortable pace. Research shows that varying your speed helps you burn more calories in less time.
Don’t be tempted to walk barefoot, even though you’re in your own home. You need the support and cushioning of a good pair of walking shoes when you exercise, especially on hard surfaces.
As with any exercise, check with your doctor before starting a walking program.