Summer workout: Dodge the sun with indoor walking

With the mercury rising and summer well and truly setting in, working out outdoors could drain and burn (quite literally) you as well as your fitness plan. Busy work schedules also make it difficult to plan daily walks or runs when the weather conditions are conducive – early morning or late evening. Well, you can still walk and log your steps and cardio miles away from the searing heat with indoor walking workouts.

Outdoor vs indoor walking

Walking outdoors is always preferable and recommended over walking indoors.

“You get to walk for a longer stretch of time, speed is not cut out, more calories burn and one does not feel giddy and is more effective overall,” says Wanitha Ashok, a fitness coach and aerobics instructor.

Walking outdoors comes with the added benefit of being out in nature. Ashok recommends going for early morning or late evening walks to escape the summer heat.

However, for busy working professionals who wish to have the flexibility of time to squeeze in the required quota of steps or workouts, indoor walking could be the perfect solution. This is a 20 to 30-minute workout, quite like HIIT, yet simpler. It allows one to get in the cardio quota for the day, sans fancy equipment. It can be done in as little as a 4×4-foot space.

A 20-minute indoor walking routine

Find a space in your home, basement or office (preferably a 6×6-foot space) and begin the routine:

1. Spot walking: Do a quick march on the spot where you stand (60 seconds). Remember to move your arms too, just as you do your regular walks.
2. Take a step back, then take a step forward. Repeat for 60 seconds.
3. Power walking: Spot march with increased pace (60 seconds).
4. Step forward and punch forward: Do this with the right hand and leg, followed by the left. Repeat for 60 seconds.
5. Power walking (60 seconds).
6. Side-to-side cross: Cross your arms, then open them wide out, as you take a wide step to your right leg, bring it to the centre and repeat with your left.
7. Power walking (60 seconds).
8. Reach up with your arms and bring them back down, while spot-walking.
9. Power walking (60 seconds).
10. Walk a few steps forward, then walk backwards. Repeat for 60 seconds.
11. Kick out: Stand tall with shoulders up high, tuck in your tummy and hold out a kick, one leg at a time. Repeat for 60 seconds.
12. Power walking (60 seconds).
13. Pump your arms and kick: Each time you kick, pump out both arms like a punch and fold them back into your elbow. Repeat for 60 seconds.
14. Power walking (60 seconds).
15. Reach for your feet while you kick: Stand tall, kick your legs one side at a time and hold out your arms to reach for your feet. This involves multiple muscle groups at a time.
16. Power walking (60 seconds).
17. Hamstring curls: Spread out your legs with a comfortable shoulder-length distance and kick back each leg towards your butt. Repeat for 60 seconds.
18. Power walking (60 seconds).
19. Mix it up: Walk a couple of steps forward, then backwards and then sideways to your diagonal left and right.
20. Spot walking: Slow down the pace and walk at your spot, until your heart rate comes down.

One can modulate these steps, duration and intensity according to one’s current fitness level as well as health goals.

“Indoor cardio workout can be combined with flexibility and strength exercises, and one can add a few asanas to get a good stretch for one’s spine and lower back. Variations also keep the workout interesting and ensure that the body gets the complete benefit out of the routine,” says Ashok.

She prescribes indoor walking to her clients as part of the warmup routine of indoor cardio and strength workouts.

Summer workouts: hydration, nutrition and rest

Ashok further stresses the importance of adequate rest between summer workouts, hydration and proper nutrition, before sharing a few tips.

• One must listen to the body and not push oneself.
• Taper the workouts during summers: Three to four days of workouts each week would suffice.
• Avoid ice creams, cold sodas, sugary aerated drinks and juices. Instead, consume coconut water, buttermilk, homemade sugarless drinks and smoothies. Dates and honey can be used as natural sweeteners.
• Ideal workout times are before 11 am and after 5 pm.
• Warm up adequately. The duration would depend on the weather. Five minutes in summer and seven minutes in winter. It also depends on the individual’s fitness levels, with sedentary individuals requiring longer warm-ups.
• Hydrate before, during and after workouts. Electrolytes are not required, and water alone suffices very well for workouts under 90 minutes.
• One must not eat immediately before workouts. Keep at least a two-hour gap between meals and workouts.
• Exercise in a well-ventilated space, or with an AC or fan switched on if ventilation is not available: This is to avoid nausea, giddiness and disorientation due to lack of oxygen.
• If adverse symptoms are experienced, one must cease the workout immediately and rest.

 Takeaways 

• Summer heat is a major deterrent to intense outdoor workouts. Indoor walking workouts can be a good alternative to logging in the steps.
• The intensity and duration of indoor walking workouts can be varied to suit one’s abilities and fitness goals.
• One must take good care of the diet, hydration, rest and comfort level, as well as the duration and time of day while doing summer workouts.