I never considered myself someone who enjoys walking. I avoided the “hot girl walk” trends on social media and didn’t take “mental health walks” during the pandemic. I even thought walking was overrated, especially after finding out that the “10,000 steps” goal is an arbitrary number created to sell pedometers.
I thought if I was going to do cardio, I’d rather do something like cycling, running, swimming, or sports—activities where I’d break a sweat. However, after trying Peloton’s guided walks, available in their versatile app, I’ve come to appreciate the “very slow run.”
Now, I’ve become a walking enthusiast.
Is walking effective cardio?
The idea that cardio needs to make you sweat to be effective is simply not true, and I always sort of knew that. As Beth Skwarecki, Lifehacker’s senior health editor, has noted, walking is indeed a form of cardio and a good one at that. Your walking speed can even indicate your health and endurance.
Different cardio intensities affect your body in various ways, and fundamentally, walking burns calories. It’s an easy way to add movement to your day, especially for beginners or those recovering from injury. I started exploring Peloton’s walking offerings when my mom was prescribed walking to help with a back issue that limited her walking ability. After consulting her doctors and physical therapists, her task was to walk for longer periods using a walking pad.
Living in a walkable city, I’ve taken my ability to walk for granted. I decided to try Peloton’s walking workouts to see if they might benefit my mom—but they ended up being beneficial for me instead.
How Peloton’s walking workouts operate
On the Peloton app, you can find walking workouts by selecting “Walking” on your home screen or by searching the term. They’re mainly designed for Tread treadmills but can be enjoyed outdoors as well. The classes come in various lengths, led by instructors who guide you with safety cues and energizing music playlists.
Most mornings, I walk to Dunkin’ Donuts and the post office to drop off items I’ve sold on resale apps, and I listen to a Peloton walk during this journey. Even though I don’t need an instructor to remind me to walk, hearing them helps me maintain a steady pace, even if I ignore the incline suggestions.
This morning, I followed a five-minute warmup walk with instructor Logan Aldridge, who emphasized that even if walking feels easy, it’s “massively worth it” for health. He provided speed cues with real-life examples instead of treadmill cues, describing a pace goal that was amusingly different from my Manhattan walk to Dunkin’.
You can enable location sharing for more accurate measurements. I have my Apple Watch paired with my Peloton app to get better data on my heart rate, output, and speed. When I forgot to enable location tracking, I could manually enter my walked distance for better results. My watch indicated my distance, and Peloton reviewed my output.
For longer walks, I use Peloton’s app to track a freestyle walk. On the home screen, the “Track” button lets you choose “Outdoor Walking” (among other activities) for tracking. While this can be redundant with apps like Apple Health, it’s beneficial if you track your streaks in Peloton or prefer to keep fitness data in one place. After a freestyle workout, Peloton provides data on pace and distance covered.
On a treadmill, you can follow the class workouts, which are recorded and available in the on-demand archive. Options include cool-down walks, power walks, hikes, or theme-based music walks, even “walk & talk” sessions with two instructors. Some classes mix walking and running—the title will specify this. While scrolling through the classes, you’ll notice some take place outside. These sessions are intended for outdoor walking, and instructors indicate when to turn around. The varied workouts range from five to 75 minutes, with longer classes often combining walking and running.
Why I enjoy Peloton’s walking workouts
Adding intentional movement to my day is easy with these workouts, just like Peloton’s stretching classes have supported my flexibility journey. Though I walk a lot as a New Yorker without a car, I often do so without purpose. Having an instructor guide me to connect with my steps and a playlist to maintain a pace turns an ordinary coffee run into a mindful activity.
Walking is low-impact and accessible. Even if you’re tired or find other forms of cardio out of reach, you can explore a vast range of fitness opportunities. Most importantly, it’s the most accessible type of workout on the app since you need no extra equipment—just good shoes, and you’re set to enjoy the benefits along with some encouragement and guidance from a trained instructor.