I tried the most popular walking workout video on YouTube and this is what I discovered
Fit this fun, 15 minutes of exercise between work breaks and meetings
I struggle to get my steps in sometimes and that’s when an indoor walking workout can come in handy.
It’s a great way to boost my step count without even leaving the house, which as, a single mom with limited childcare, is a godsend.
I’ve tried plenty of sessions on YouTube, and tried five of the most popular 1,000-step walking workout videos.
I prefer the shorter videos because I can squeeze them into a desk break, or while I’m on lunch.
So I was intrigued when I discovered this 1.0 Mile Happy Walk from Walk at Home by Leslie Sansone, which has racked up over 150 million views over two videos (the original video had a glitch and was reposted).
This makes it the most-watched indoor walking workout on YouTube, and as far as I’m concerned, worth a try.
Watch the 1.0 Mile Happy Walk
My experience trying the 1.0 Mile Happy Walk
I gave the workout a try myself, and here’s what I discovered.
1. The 15-minute format made it very easy to fit in
The workout only takes 15 minutes and you don’t need any equipment, or even much space, making it ideal to do in a lunch break or even between meetings.
It involves four easy steps: walking on the spot, side steps, kicks and a march.
Sansone also makes you do some walking forward and backward as well as side to side, so it’s great for coordination, too.
For someone who struggles to fit activity into my day, I found it was a convenient way to get moving. And because it is all low-impact, it’s well-suited to people new to exercise or returning after a break.
2. It worked more than just my legs
I expected my legs to do all the work but I could feel my whole body getting involved.
Rather than just accumulating steps, the workout ask you to move in different directions and encourages you to move your arms as well.
I went from doing overhead presses to shoulder rolls and lateral side reaches, as well as pumping the arms while power walking.
We did a hamstring curl with arm pull-backs, a standing crunch and even the grapevine—which reminded me of doing my mum’s workout videos as a teenager.
This made it feel like more of a workout than simply marching to hit a step target.
3. It got my heart rate up without feeling too intense
My Apple Watch recorded my heart rate at 93 bpm at the start, peaking at 131 bpm, with an average of 116 bpm.
It also estimated that I burned 98 calories in total.
I have to say, even though it wasn’t as challenging as my normal strength training sessions, and I wasn’t super sweaty, I was still surprised by how much effort it took for something labelled a walk.
The continuous marching, broken up with faster steps and larger movements, made it a gentle cardio session.
4. It was really fun
Exercise doesn’t need to be about getting your personal best or dripping in sweat by the end. It can just be about having fun while moving your body.
I spend a lot of time writing on my laptop, so taking a desk break to move—particularly doing something fun and playful, which felt a bit like a line dancing lesson—was a big mood booster.
I’ll definitely do this one again, particularly as it’s so quick and easy to fit into my busy schedule.
