Walking & Talking with Helen - Walking Workouts

This is a 10-minute podcast to walk to, and the first part in a new 4-part walking series to get you moving and sneak a few more steps into your day.

Today we’re doing walking intervals. Nothing scary. Just short bursts of faster walking with recovery periods to wake up your body and your brain. Plus, these little pushes are great for women over 40. And I am way over 40. Like waaaay.

You can do this guided walking workout with music outside, or at home on a treadmill or walking pad.
If you're not up for those extra pushes today, you can absolutely skip them and just stay with a steady, comfortable pace.
How do you make walking less boring?
You have to give your brain something else to focus on besides the clock. Doing short intervals breaks up the time and turns a quick 10-minute walk into a game. Plus, I share some ridiculous stories to keep you distracted so the time flies by.

What are the benefits of walking intervals for women over 40?
Intervals are a great way to challenge your heart rate and build stamina without putting heavy stress on your joints. By adding short, 30-second bursts of faster walking, you wake up your circulation and boost your energy levels. Because each push is followed by a recovery period, it strengthens your lungs and legs without leaving you completely exhausted. 
Can you get a good workout in just a 10-minute walk?
Yes. Stop thinking you need an hour of free time or nothing at all. A quick 10-minute power walk gets you roughly 1,300 steps and gives you a major energy reset. It is just a short, manageable burst of movement that actually fits into a chaotic day.

What you get during this walking workout?
 Easy walking intervals with background music and a bell at the halfway point
A quick burst of energy without doing anything extreme
About 10 minutes of movement and roughly 1,300 steps (woo hoo!)

And because I have ADHD and drift all over the place, I also...
Tell you how I accidentally rode my bike onto a busy freeway and discovered I can indeed sprint if motivated by death
Relive old spin class torture involving the song Cotton-Eyed Joe and how I tracked my fitness by how long my thighs could hold my body up
Discuss whether Ring of Fire was secretly written about my quads giving up on life
Encourage you to dance the last few steps home like nobody’s watching

 Lace up those sneakers and let’s get to it.

Tap Follow so the Week 2 walk is waiting for you in your feed.

Share your walk at @yourwalkingpodcast on Instagram, Facebook or Threads.
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You know those days when your plans to work out fall apart? (Or your plans for anything, really). This 1-mile power walk is a great podcast to walk to, and it's all about having a backup plan so one messy day does not turn into a full “well, I guess I live on crackers now” situation.

This is a guided walking workout you can do outside or at home on a treadmill or walking pad. Lace up your shoes, and let’s get a brisk 1 mile and about 2,000 steps in together, complete with background walking music.

How do you stay consistent with exercise when you’re busy?
Stop waiting for the perfect day or the perfect time, because it doesn't exist. Staying consistent means ditching the "all or nothing" mindset. A short, brisk 15-minute walk on a sideways day keeps your momentum going. Something is always better than nothing. You can stay at a steady, comfortable pace if that is what your energy levels need today.

What is a realistic exercise backup plan for a hectic schedule?
Find what actually works for your real life and schedule... not someone else's. If 5:00 AM workouts aren’t your thing, don't make yourself do them. Your backup plan should be a no-fuss, indoor or outdoor walk that you can trigger the moment your calendar blows up, whether you are stepping outside or walking inside on a walking pad or treadmill.

Should you always "eat the frog" first thing in the morning?
No! Sometimes taking your "reward" first is exactly what builds the momentum you need to get moving, especially if you are balancing a packed day or managing distractions. Plus you always want to do what best for you and your personality. Don't force yourself to live someone else's schedule.

What we're chatting about on this walk:
To keep you completely distracted from the effort, I tend to drift into some stories. Today we are talking about:
How to stop waiting for the perfect conditions to exercise
Are you an Amy or a Captain Holt from Brooklyn Nine-Nine? Or a Helen?
Walking tours in Europe and reversing the standard productivity advice
The reality of trying to do crunches while nursing a baby (motherhood is... different)
My deep, ongoing confession of my love for crackers

If your schedule just went totally awry but you still want to fit in some movement, hit play and come for a walk.

Tap Follow so the next walking podcast episode is waiting for you in your feed.

Share your walk at @yourwalkingpodcast on Instagram, Facebook or Threads.
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Follow, subscribe, or leave me a review. I appreciate your support.

If your brain has been screaming for sugar, caffeine, a nap, or all three… this 10-minute guided walking workout helps you get over that slump. It is a quick, brisk podcast to walk to that is designed to wake your body back up, loosen up all that desk-chair stiffness, and help you feel more focused.

You can do this walk outside, or at home on a treadmill or walking pad.

Why do I crave sugar when I am tired?
Sometimes that "I need sugar immediately" feeling just means your body is craving movement, oxygen, and a break from sitting like a pretzel for six hours. A quick 10-minute walking break sends oxygen and motion back through your system to get your energy zipping again, giving you a longer payoff than a quick sugar high.

How do you fix body stiffness from sitting all day?
When you sit for hours, your shoulders creep up, your back curves, and your glutes completely fall asleep. A short walk gives you a chance to do a quick body scan, waking up sleepy glutes, rolling your shoulders back to dump the tension, and loosening up tight hips so you can actually stand up straight again.

Do short 10-minute walks actually do anything for your health?
Yes. These tiny pockets of movement throughout the day are called NEAT (Non-Exercise Activity Thermogenesis), and they matter immensely for your energy, metabolism and health. Finding small windows to move during a busy workday can do more for you than doing one long workout followed by hours and hours of sitting.

What you get on this 10-minute walk:
Background music to help keep your pace, plus breathing reminders and posture resets
A real energy and mood boost without needing a nap
About 10 minutes of movement and roughly 1,200 steps

And because I can't stay on topic, I also...
Read you a dramatic poem I wrote about sugar (it is definitely not Dr. Seuss material)
Make fun of my past self as a fitness instructor who couldn't even stand up straight after sitting too long
Gush about a five-week-old rescue kitten who is still trying to figure out how her own legs work
Tell a silly story about my Aunt Inger and me running after a runaway luggage cart in Norway after a nine-hour flight

If you need a quick mood boost or some relief from sitting too long, lace up your shoes and come for a walk.

Tap Follow so the next walk is waiting for you in your feed.

PS. Want easy ways to get more steps in? Check out Ep. 37 — 15-Minute Walk: Fit More Steps In the Easy Way.
PPS. Connect with me on social media at @yourwalkingpodcast
Support the show
Follow, subscribe, or leave me a review. I appreciate your support.

(This episode originally released October 21, 2025. Let's clear some brain fog!)
Ever feel like your brain has 50... no, a thousand, browser tabs open at once? And then you try to talk into the cat food bowl instead of your phone. (Yep. I did that. Full story in the podcast.)
We'll fix it with this low impact guided walk you can do outside or at home on a treadmill or walking pad. And... you'll get about 2000 steps in! 
My concentration is a mess some days.
During this 20-minute walking workout I share a super simple 3-step hack I use to shut down distraction and find some actual focus. Yippee!
Here's what we chat about:
The "Just One Thing Rule" I use to figure out what really matters in the middle of the chaos.
My "tangled knot of yarn" trick for tackling huge projects.
The 5-minute "hide-under-your-desk" reset I stole from a TV show (you'll love it).
If your brain feels like a closet you are afraid to open, this one's for you.
P.S. You'll hear a bell halfway through the walk. If you're walking outside, that's your "turn around" cue. And tap Follow so next week's walk is waiting for you.
I also chat about cleaning out closets, talking into a cat food bowl instead of my phone, ADHD, cutting a chunk out of my hair, A Man on the Inside TV show.
Instagram/Facebook: @yourwalkingpodcast

Support the show
Follow, subscribe, or leave me a review. I appreciate your support.

A podcast to walk to when you need something to entertain and distract you. Story, scandal, and steps.
This is a 15-minute guided story walk about Milli Vanilli, the lip-sync scandal that rocked the music world, and what really happened to the two men behind the illusion. 
You can do this walk outside, or at home on a treadmill or walking pad. There’s background walking music to keep your pace. 
You’ll wake up your heart rate and your metabolism, getting between 1,800 and 2,000 steps in without even noticing.  
What we're talking about while we walk:
The 1989 concert glitch that started the downfall of Milli Vanilli: 80,000 people, one skipping track, and one very memorable exit
Rob Pilatus and Fab Morvan: the faces, the braids, the fantasy
Frank Farian, the German producer who built the whole illusion from a nightclub in Munich
The Grammy win in 1990, and the shocking Grammy revocation that had never happened once in 33 years of Grammy history
The press conference producer Frank held alone, and how Rob and Fab found out the same way the rest of us did: from the news
What happened to Rob Pilatus after the scandal
How Fab Morvan eventually made peace with the music, and why he says the joy people felt dancing to it was real

And because I cannot just tell a straight story without wandering off, I also detour into:
Teaching high-impact aerobics in an aqua unitard and high-top Reeboks, my pretend 80s husband... if you’ve listened before you know exactly who that is, “Rasputin” by Boney M, possibly the greatest walking song ever recorded, and why you might catch me dancing down the street.
This walk is a little different. A little nostalgic. A little sad. A little wild.
But if you need a story to pull you through your walk today, check i out. Put in your earbuds, lace up your shoes, and go for a walk.
And tap Follow so the next walk is waiting for you.
If you know someone who’d love this, a fellow 80s fan, a true crime lover, or just someone who needs to move more, send them this episode.
PS. Connect with me on social media at @yourwalkingpodcast.

Support the show
Follow, subscribe, or leave me a review. I appreciate your support.