Walking is great exercise, but can be slow and a little boring, unless you’re truly captivated by the wonders of the natural world—though that won’t get you very far if your scenery is the walls around a treadmill, rather than a walking path. Whether you’re walking outdoors or indoors, you can benefit from using guided walks to spice up your ambling.
I love the walking video offered by Peloton, but I to access them, I pay $50 a month (though I get so much else as part of my subscription). But if you want a free option, there are some great ones on YouTube. They’re similar to the free guided runs on the platform, but here, you just walk. (In general, if you want to find guided walking workouts on YouTube on your own, make sure to add “outside” or “treadmill” so you get results that will serve your needs.)
Prowalk Tours (749,000 subscribers)
For “walks” around a specific location, Prowalk Tours might be the best out there. You can visit a variety of cities, markets, and locales from the comfort of your home or the gym. Running one of these on your phone or iPad while you use a treadmill is a great way to distract yourself and see what other parts of the world are like. There’s no guidance, necessarily—at least not in an audio sense. This channel does divvy up the videos, though, so along the slider bar at the bottom of the player, you can see descriptions of the different areas you’ll “pass” through. If there’s a building you love in Paris, you can skip right to it. There are also other kinds of tours, like ones taken by boat and bike, so you can follow along on a stationary cycle or just watch and enjoy.
Get Fit With Rick (843,000 subscribers)
I like this channel because it’s much more exercise-focused, but still pretty chill—sometimes, you don’t want to do Pilates or an all-out cardio session; you just want to walk. On the Get Fit With Rick channel, you can get motivation and pace cues, plus stretching and other movements (he might have you do some side-stepping or knee touches during a walk). Bear in mind he is stationary while he teaches, so you could actually just dance in place like he does, but you can—and should—walk around instead, hitting the beat of the music and keeping up with his pace cues.
The variety of modifications available make this channel suitable for all levels. It’s a great option if you’re a beginner, having an active rest day, or just checking it out. The audio and video quality is high, which I always appreciate. You don’t need incredible production values if the coaching is good, but it never hurts to actually be able to adequately hear and see the instructors.
What do you think so far?
Sunny Health and Fitness (194,000 subscribers)
You might be familiar with Sunny if you’ve ever been scouring Amazon for cheap, at-home workout equipment. That was my first experience with the brand: I bought a tiny, mechanical elliptical from them that I used until I was able to get my own Peloton Bike. Their videos are like their products, in that they’re straightforward and to the point, with no fuss or flare. They are geared specifically for walkers using treadmills, and offer pacing and form cues, plus motivation from a coach.
IBX Running (59,000 subscribers)
IBX appeared on my best YouTube running channels list too, because they offer so many options in terms of workout length and structure. One of the options? Just plain walking. The videos are abundant in volume, but more importantly, they’re clear and useful: Side bars show you what your incline and pace should be, which many of the other channels don’t do. This helps you stay motivated and work toward your fitness goals.
Headspace (1 million subscribers)
You might be surprised to see Headspace here, since it’s an app and platform dedicated to meditation and mental health, rather than exercise. But Headspace offers up some quality guided walking meditation videos I think are worth checking out. Exercise isn’t just good for the body, but good for the mind, and sometimes, it’s better to focus on that aspect, rather than just calorie burning. Think of them as guided walking meditations. If you want to take a stroll and be a little more mindful (while still reaping the physical benefits of moving around), start here.
