I’m a personal trainer, I’m 60 years old, and I work with older people. Here’s a walking workout I give my clients to improve their cardiovascular fitness and balance. – It’s Going Viral in 2026

Walking is a great way to help fight the physical signs of aging. They are low-impact and affordable, allowing you to improve mobility, prevent diseases like osteoporosis, and take care of your heart. Just 30 minutes of walking a day can reduce your risk of stroke by 20 to 40%, as well as control your blood pressure, cholesterol and blood sugar levels.

However, if you’re new to walking or returning to walking after a long break, it can be difficult to know where to start. Below we’ve shared a walking workout from Arlette Godges, a Senior Planet sponsored athlete who teaches seniors how to live the healthiest lifestyle possible. Arlette shares walking exercises she recommends to clients looking to improve their fitness.

As a reminder, if you are returning to training or dealing with a specific injury, it is always best to seek individual advice from a qualified professional. Walking should be safe for most people, but if at any point you feel pain, stop walking.

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Arlette Goges

Arlette Godges (61) is a world record holder in Masters swimming and a licensed physical therapist. Arlette combines real athleticism with a deep knowledge of anatomy. Based in Santa Barbara, she empowers older adults through evidence-based movement, joint protection and balance, sharing her expertise through virtual classes and articles on Senior Planet.

What is training?

Instead of just going for a walk, Arlette recommends her clients combine bodyweight exercises to add strength and endurance to their workout.

Here’s the workout:

• Do lifts in random places: 5 sets of 10 reps
• Swing your arms high: 30 seconds on/off x 5 minutes
• High knee march: 30 seconds on/off x 5 minutes
• Walk quickly for 30 seconds.alternate at a normal pace for 10 minutes
• Take 10 big stepsalternate with 20 regular steps, repeat 5 times
• Total walk: 45 minutes or more.

If a 45-minute walk seems too ambitious at first, break up the workout by reducing the amount of time you spend on each exercise and doing them for one or two minutes instead of five. As you do all the exercises, remember to really think about engaging your core, tensing your abs as if you were going to get hit.

What are the benefits?

Walking is a fantastic exercise for maintaining bone density and health, which becomes especially important as you age. By walking, you stimulate the body’s bone-building cells, reducing the risk of fractures from accidental falls.

Exercises such as step-ups and marches are unilateral movements that work one side of the body at a time. This can help correct imbalances in the body as we tend to have one stronger side. By correcting this imbalance, you will improve your overall balance and reduce your risk of falls.

What’s more, you’ll likely burn more calories during this workout compared to a standard walk at a steady pace. As a reminder, if you’re walking to lose weight, the best way to do it is to combine your exercise with a calorie deficit diet—in other words, you need to burn more calories than you consume. One of the best ways to track this is to wear one of the best fitness trackers.

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