This simple fitness walking routine will help you lose weight and tone your muscles.

You will not need any equipment except what the local council and Mother Nature has provided for you, free of charge! A fitness walking routine for weight loss using lampposts and muscle toning using a park bench. It incorporates ‘Fartlek’ and ‘Circuit Training” principles that allow you to take your fitness walking to another level. Let’s get you started…

Fitness walking

A much-underrated form of exercise in my opinion, as it is the most accessible way for most of us to keep fit and healthy with both mind and body benefits when done in a certain way with good walking technique.

The routine I’m sharing with you is one I do myself when I’m out for my fitness walk.

It can be just a quick 20 minutes around the block or added in to break up a much longer walk. The walking route needs to have a bench and lampposts or something similar. If I can’t find lamposts for markers, I use parked cars or trees. If I can’t find a park bench, I use a low wall.

Fitness walking routine

• Walk like you are late for 5 minutes, a good pace which will raise your heart rate and get you a little out of breath.
• Find your bench and do this; Sit down on the bench and stand up straight away for 30 Seconds (if you want to make this harder, squat, so don’t sit, just touch your backside on the seat and stand). Then do standing pushups on the back of the bench for 30 seconds. Repeat these 2 exercises with little or no rest for 5 minutes. This is basic circuit training.
• Now walk at a good pace to the nearest marker you have chosen (be that lamppost or tree). When there, walk at a faster pace (or jog) to the next marker. Once there. slow the pace to the next one where you pick up the pace again. Do this interval training section for 5 minutes. This is basic Fartlek training, fast then slow, fast then slow…
• After your interval training 5 minutes, finish off with the ‘walk like you are late’ at a steady pace for another 5 minutes.
• That’s it! A total of 20 minutes. Toning arms, chest, abs, thighs and backside with plenty of fresh air. Do it on your own or with friends for that extra challenge and support.