Not getting time to exercise is no longer an excuse when you have an option for indoor walking.
Fast catching on popularity, this urban fitness trend suits people with busy schedules who often face time constraints.
Indoor walking stands for walking within the confines of your home, shopping complex, office, or even climbing stairs. Fitness experts approve of this trend as it offers similar benefits to outdoor walking.
However, for adequate Vitamin D intake, it’s still advised to get some morning sun in your neighbourhood park or your balcony.
Any kind of physical movement can reverse the effects of a sedentary lifestyle and aid in weight loss.
Walking is not only a convenient ways to burn those extra calories, but provide a wealth of benefits from keeping your bones and muscles strong, brain agile, to reducing the risk of type 2 diabetes. Walking isn’t just a workout but a mindful way of living your life in a healthier and more meaningful way.
Walking isn’t your normal workout, it’s also a happiness mantra. It helps release endorphins, improve blood flow and keep blood pressure in check.
A count of 10,000 steps daily is considered magical. Indoor walking can help add to your step count. All you have to do is to be a little mindful about walking whenever there’s an opportunity.
According to a study by Stanford University, walking opens the mind and helps the flow of ideas. Whether you are at home or in office settings, walking can help you get multitude of benefits.
How to ace indoor walking
Walking inside the home
Indoor walking inside your home can be ideal post lunch when the weather outside isn’t favourable or you don’t have time to head outdoors. It can simply be done from your drawing room to bedroom, or studyroom to kitchen. This will not only help add to your step count, but also aid in digestion and controlling sugar spikes.
Walking at workplace
Do not waste the opportunity to add to your step count in your office. You can climb stairs or just say ‘hello’ to a friend who sits a little far from you. You can also take a few calls while walking. One may also consider on-the-spot jogging when no one is looking.
Walking while shopping
Indulge in some retail therapy and work on your fitness levels at the same time. Instead of taking escalators in your neighbourhood mall, try to choose stairs. Climbing stairs while carrying those heavy shopping bags will surely help you lose some pounds.
Benefits of indoor walking
1. Weight loss
One of the most important benefits of indoor walking is that you burn some additional calories. Short bursts of activity can add up to help you reach your fitness goals. If you manage to do a total of even 30 minutes of indoor walking, you will be able to reap huge benefits for weight loss.
2. It keeps stress away
Sitting at your desk continuously without any movements can increase your stress levels. Walking a few steps, even inside your workplace, can help release endorphins and alleviate stress. This can also increase your productivity.
3. Aids digestion
Walking inside your home post meals can ensure your food is digested well. It also keeps acidity, and bloating in check. Ayurveda recommends practice of Shatapavali or 100 steps post every meal for optimum digestion and well-being.
4. Reduces risk of type 2 diabetes
Walking can reduce risk of diabetes by reducing insulin sensitivity. It also controls post-meal sugar spikes in people with diabetes. Walking helps lose weight which is another factor in reducing risk of the metabolic disorders.