If you can’t use a treadmill at home, you can always walk without one. Most people use an exercise video to help them walk in place and get their bodies moving. You can do a number of different movements that get your legs and arms moving, just like a walk.
You can walk at home without a treadmill by doing one of the following:
- Follow along with a walking video.
- March in place while watching TV so that your feet lift off the ground, just like walking.
- Select an area free from obstructions and walk forward and backward repeatedly like dancing.
- Use a small step platform to step on while alternating your legs.
- Step side to side from the left side of an area to the right side.
- Create a path in your house to walk along. Go back and forth or in a loop.
- Get a stand-up desk and walk in place while typing on the computer or taking calls.
- Use a mini stepper to get a leg workout.
- Find a book to place on the ground and step over it, and turn and step over it again.
- Dance along to Just Dance Game or other videos.
We all need a little motivation at times. I think it’s a good idea to watch videos to get started with your walking at home. The other method I think you can get used to quickly get into a habit of walking at home is to try walking while working at a stand-up desk. Find out what method works best for you.
Walking at home is a good idea when you can go outside or to the gym. It might seem impractical at first but there are lots of ways to get your legs moving like you’re walking.
One way that I get a lot of walking done at home is by organizing. I go back and forth from the garage and my room bringing in boxes and taking out boxes. I do this sometimes to minimize the number of items I have in my room and to find items that I have stored away.
Another way I get some walking done is by watching Just Dance videos. Some videos are very leg-intensive and give your legs a workout. Whatever you choose to do, the more you can enjoy it, the more likely you will want to do it again.
10 Ways to Walk at Home
It might not seem like you would get much exercise by walking at home, but walking moves your body, and movement is healthy. If you are consistently moving your body for 30 minutes of uninterrupted movement, you can reap many health benefits.
Your goal might be to get your body moving about five times a week for 30 minutes. That way, you can reach the 150-minute exercise advised by the American Heart Association.
Here are some ideas to get you started on walking at home.
1. Watch A Walking Video
Watching a video can be very motivating for some. You can follow along with the instructor, listen to the beat of the music, and find the rhythm. If you’re interested in getting fit, there are many YouTube videos and channels aimed at walking/exercising in the comfort of your own home.
You just need a little space to exercise or walk in while you watch your video. Find some comfortable clothes to wear and good shoes to exercise in or go barefoot for better contact with the floor.
You’ll be busy doing lots of different types of walking, leg, and arm movements when you watch a video. You won’t have time to be bored if you are keeping up with video, and you’ll likely get some good cardio in as well. If you ask a friend to join, that can also be helpful.
2. March in Place While Watching TV
Marching is a good way to get your leg muscles activated and get some good cardio. If you bring your knees up to waist height when marching, you will likely get a good walking workout in a short time.
It’s a good idea to control your leg movement while lifting your knee up and down when you’re doing so many repetitive movements. Taking it slow and steady will help you control your leg muscles better. Sometimes when we start to get tired or we lose muscle strength, we may start to have jerky movements and that can lead to injury.
So if you start to feel tired, slow it down, take smaller steps, or take a break. You can always start back up after a minute. You might want to take a break during the commercials or do your marching during the commercials.
3. Walk Forward and Backward
If you have a clear path where you can walk forward and back, this can be a good way to walk at home. You can watch TV, listen to music, talk on the phone, or use your phone. Just make sure your path is unobstructed and you can easily walk forward and backward without any stumbling.
The benefit of this method is you can step to a rhythm. You can walk and count the number of steps forward and backward. Once you’ve gotten a hang of walking in this way, you can do other things while you walk.
You’ll be using more of your foot and leg muscles as you carefully walk forward and back. You can tone your legs after many repetitions. Dancing forward and back is also a good way to get your walking in.
4. Use A Step Platform
This type of exercise aid can help you get your legs moving. You can place the platform at different levels and either place your foot up on the platform and back down, or you can step up on the platform giving your leg a better workout.
There are many YouTube videos you may want to watch while using this type of stepper. These can give you lots of ideas of ways to walk at home.
You’ll need to find a solid place to put your stepper so it is stable when you step on it. Some people love the diversity a stepper offers during their exercise routine.
5. Step Side to Side
Although stepping side to side isn’t a normal walking movement, it gets your body moving and uses muscles that you may not regularly use. This helps strengthen your legs overall.
You usually see people dancing with some side-to-side movement. Walking forward, backward, and side to side can tone up muscles and make your legs more stable.
Some people use stretch bands over their legs to get a better workout. You can also incorporate different styles of side steps, such as shown in the How to Do a Side Step video.
The great thing about walking side to side and in various ways is that you are slowly gaining more stability. You are less likely to fall when something trips you up.
6. Crate A Walking Path in Your House
You can your path might be a hallway that extends into a room and you walk back and forth from one end of the path to the other. Your path might be circular. If you use a little creativity, you can mix it up and create new paths to walk and ways to feel less bored when walking in your home.
I find that listening to music or a podcast will help me focus on something other than the walk. So if you are feeling like things are getting too repetitive, try listening to something interesting during the walk.
If you want to have some fun with people in your family, you can create an obstacle course to go through. Whoever goes through the course a set number of times
7. Use A Stand-Up Desk and Walk in Place
A stand-up desk is something healthy for your legs and body. If you’re willing to do some type of walking in place at your desk for about 30 minutes Monday through Friday, then getting a stand-up desk is worth it. If you don’t move much or stand much with your desk, then it might be better to invest in something else.
It could be fairly easy to lift your foot and swing it toward your behind and alternate legs while standing at your desk. Bringing your knees up could be OK but some desks might have features that obstruct leg movement forward.
Marching in place by lifting your foot straight up might be one way to get moving and still do your work at your stand-up desk. You can type on the computer and make calls if your walking exercises aren’t too excessive.
8. Use A Mini Stepper
A mini stepper can give you a smooth leg workout. You can use this stepper while watching TV, talking on the phone, at your stand-up desk, or just about anywhere you might be staying for a while.
This low-impact exercise can be good for those with joint issues who need to strengthen their muscles to provide support for their joints before getting back on the sidewalk and walking for longer periods.
The thing I like about mini steppers is they are so small you can get them out and put them away fairly easily.
9. Step Over An Object
If you need to challenge yourself a bit and keep yourself accountable for how well you are working out, you can place a book or larger object on the floor and step over it.
This requires you to have some stability and spatial awareness. The taller or longer the object the more you will need to move your leg while walking over it.
You can challenge yourself to not touch the object and make a game out of it. You can use several objects in a row, turn around, and step over them again.
10. Dance Along With Videos
You can use the video game Just Dance or videos you find online to dance to. This is fun to do by yourself or with someone. You’ll exercise your legs and walk around more or less with various dance videos.
Having fun while you exercise is a great way to get energized and not lose steam during your walking session. Try a couple of videos in a row to get yourself a good leg workout and some cardio if you want.
If you can keep up the dancing for 30 minutes and learn to move to a song, you should have gotten a pretty good workout.
Final Thoughts
Walking at home might seem counterintuitive but it can be done in a variety of ways. You might want to make a schedule of which day you want to do which type of walking exercise and stick to it each week.
Once you start getting yourself moving more often, you will likely start to feel better and have a bit more energy. If you keep it up for six months, you can really make a difference in how you feel and sleep. Start to see your muscles tone and possibly some weight loss.
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