1-Mile Interval Walk | Make the Time Fly By | 77

Want your walk to go by faster? This 1-mile guided interval walking workout keeps your body moving and your mind distracted.

With optional one-minute interval bursts, upbeat walking music, and a few travel stories that prove you probably shouldn't let me plan the itinerary, the time flies by and you're done before you know it.

Walk outside, or at home on a treadmill or walking pad.

You'll get...

• A beginner-friendly, low-impact 1-mile guided interval walking workout
• A fun way to get about 2,000 steps without watching the clock
• A chance to build stamina, boost your energy, and challenge yourself at your own pace
• A walking buddy in your ear to help distract you from the effort

And because I tend to drift (thanks ADHD), I also chat about...

• Why we missed the train in London to the Harry Potter tour
• Accidentally riding a broken bike uphill to teach spin class
• Why traveling with me apparently involves running through airports
• Aerosmith encouraging me to "Live on the Edge"

This walking podcast includes background walking music with a beat, walking and speed cues, an optional cool-down, and a bell at the halfway point if you want to turn around.

If you've been looking for a fun way to fit in a 1-mile walk or make your walking workout fly by, go grab your walking shoes.

Like walking intervals? Go walk to episode 58 - Japanese Walking Method | 20-Minute Low-Impact Interval Walk. 

Don't forget to Follow the podcast.

I'd love to hear from you. Leave a comment on Spotify or tag your walk with #WalkTalkWithHelen on social media.

Transcript

0:05

Today's walk is an interval walk. You can do this walk outside or at home on a treadmill or walking pad. Start at an easy warm-up speed. You're going to follow the music. So one time the kids and I were hauling butt towards a train in London. We were on our way to the Warner Brothers Studio Tour going to see that Harry Potter experience. So we got to the train station and spent some time trying to find our track and then we finally saw it and we went running down the platform next to the train at full speed next to some strangers. The conductor saw us and he waited until we were almost at the car. Then he blew the whistle, got on board, shut the door, and the train left without us. We had to take the next train. I'm not exactly sure what kind of lesson he was trying to teach us, but whatever. And sometimes, you know, life just forces us into interval training. So that's what we're doing today. We're going to do some speed increases and recovery, four one-minute bursts, but it's totally optional if you're not feeling it or if you're on a walking pad. You can just stay at a regular brisk pace. Follow that beat. We're going to practice our intervals so the train doesn't leave without us next time. Maybe they knew we were Americans. I don't know. There'll be a bell at the halfway point in case you're walking outside and want to turn around. Take a deep breath in through your nose and exhale through your mouth. Couple of normal breaths. Okay, let's do that one more time because we're going to get the oxygen in there. Deep breath in through your nose and exhale through your mouth. Going to relax your shoulders. Keep them down away from your ears. It's an easy arm swing. We're going to kind of jump into those intervals. So the first interval, just keep it moderate, moderate brisk, though each one can be faster. Steady pace here. Okay, get ready. Here we go. Oh no, already. Pick up that pace. Really push it. Just 60 seconds. Strong arms. Quick feet. Halfway there. Smooth breathing. Let the music drive you forward. Of course, that weird sound in the background. Sounds like a scary movie. Okay, 10 more seconds. Push it. Gently back off your pace. Recover. It's comfortably brisk. So speaking of intervals, I think I have had many near-miss intervals in my life. One Saturday morning, I was teaching a spin class bright and early at 8 a. m. And a relative of mine had borrowed my car, so I thought, you know what, I'll just ride my bike. I didn't realize that the derailleur was broken. The derailleur's a thing that moves the chain between different gears. Got on the bike, started biking, and I was stuck in one gear. And it was uphill almost the entire way to the gym. And I was cycling in panic mode. thighs were fried and crispy before class even started. Keep your breathing going. It's recovery here. But I made it just in time for class. Then afterwards, I got a ride home. I'm not dumb enough to try that twice. Deep breath in through your nose. You know the drill. Exhale through your mouth. Make sure your shoulders are down and relaxed. because pretty soon, second interval coming up. Get ready and go. Pick up your pace. This one can be a little harder. Follow the beat. Kind of double time it a little bit. Stay smooth. Nice, quick cadence. Okay. Ten more seconds. Push it. And if you're doing this in a walking pad or treadmill, you can just take shorter steps. And slow it down. Still brisk. But not a sprint. Not an interval. Recover and breathe. Deep breathing. Another real-life interval story. One time, I was traveling with my son. We're at this huge airport in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. We were changing planes. We'd been to that airport several times before, so I thought I knew where everything was. We had lunch near somewhere we landed. I did not check where the next flight left from. I was just convinced it was nearby. But, guess what? I was completely wrong. And I realized our gate was all the way across the airport. Then we had to sprint to make the flight. Our backpacks were flapping. Our legs were pumping. I don't know why he ever even talked to me again. Because sometimes, you know, thinking you're right and you know everything is not a great travel strategy. Get ready. In just a moment, third interval coming up. Keep your breathing going nice and smooth. But relax your shoulders. Don't tense up knowing the interval's going to be there. Get ready. Here we go. Push it now. Push it now. Strong and steady. Roll smoothly from your heel to your toe. Arms at about 90 degrees. Don't bring your hands up by your face. Keep your hands close to your body. Last 10 seconds. Go. And release it. Slow it back down a little bit to recovery. And breathe. Still comfortably brisk pace. Just fill up your lungs all the way. Everything's relaxed. Shoulders are down. Hands are soft. After this next story, you will come away with one observation, and that is you don't want to travel with me. So one time I was flying to Norway with my aunt, and we had a brief layover at the airport in Rome, and our flight was delayed. So we walked all the way to the lounge so we can chillax a little bit there. And my aunt was taking a nap, and I was reading. We're minding our own business. Then I happened to look up at the board. Guess what? The flight was suddenly back to the original departure time. Woo-hoo! There was no announcement, so I had to hurry up and wake my aunt up, and then, again, we hurried across the airport as fast as we could go. My poor aunt. I was dragging her with me, and her sandals kept almost slipping off. We barely made it to the gate, but we made it. Keep your breathing going nice and smooth. We've got one more interval. Final one coming up. Get ready, and go. Push it. Last one. Make this strong. Make this count. Follow the beat. Stay tall. Pump your arms. Remember, this is the last one. Give it all you got left in your tank. Imagine you're almost at the gate, but it's like a dream where it's going further and further away. 10 more seconds. Get ready, and go. Push it. Last 10. And slow it down. This time, slower than a brisk pace. Got to get a good recovery in here. The recoveries are just as important as efforts. Fill up your lungs nice and slow. Bring your breathing back down. Kind of like halftime, maybe. Not halftime show. That's weird. But like halftime pace. It's now at a pace and breathing where you could talk. These intervals are really good for those unexpected close calls that I seem to have a lot of in my life. ADHD, always late, never paying attention. We all have that one story where suddenly life said, move, move, move, where you feel like you're in boot camp. I don't know, maybe I like to live on the edge like Aerosmith sang to me once. Well, they didn't really sing it to me. They sang it to the other 40,000 people there, but I took it to heart. Deep breath in through your nose and exhale through your mouth. Now, slow your pace a little bit more It's not at cool down yet. Still recovering. I think we're going to go back to the 70s. So you want to feel for any tense spots in your body. Now, one at a time, you want to release those. Fill up those lungs all the way. Relax your stomach. Really get that oxygen in there. And exhale forcefully. Good. Stay with that slower pace. Shake out your hands. Okay, we're going to be approaching the mile mark now. It's not exact depending on how fast you were walking. And if you just did a steady pace today, it doesn't matter as long as you were moving. Intervals are not for everybody. And some days you just don't feel like doing them. So don't. It's a great thing of adulting. So you don't have to do what you don't want to do, except, you know, pay taxes. If you want to jump off here, you can. If you want to stay for the optional cool down, just like a minute, two minutes. You can leave me a comment on Spotify. Or you can leave me a comment on social. The hashtag walktalkwithhelen. Or leave me a review on Apple Podcasts, wherever you listen. Slow it down now. Roll those shoulders backwards. Big rolls. And then roll it forward. Big rolls. All the way around. Draw that circle. Keep them down away from your ears. If your feet are gripping your shoes, relax your toes. Nice, easy pace. I'm going to lull you to sleep, aren't I? Hey, if you're at home, that's fine. But maybe not if you're outside. That could be weird. Slow it down a little more. Deep breath in again through your nose. And exhale through your mouth. And I'll see you next time.