I tried a 1000-step walking workout and the results surprised me

Struggling to get your daily steps in? This 1000-step walking workout from influencer Pamela Reif can help. In just 10 minutes, Reif will take you through a high-energy circuit guaranteed to boost your heart rate and mood.

As a freelancer who works from home, I rarely have time to squeeze a walk into my day, so Reif’s workout helped me increase my step count without leaving the house. And that wasn’t the only perk—here’s what else I discovered.

Pamela Reif’s 1000-step walking workout

What I learnt from this 1000-step walking workout

You don’t need an hour to work up a sweat

In this quick workout, you do each exercise for either 12, 15, 25 or 30 seconds, so you’re constantly moving and never bored. Reif includes many arm movements, which not only help to get the heart pumping in a joint-friendly way but also boost calorie burn. Though it’s only 10 minutes, this workout will leave you sweating.

Steps-based exercise improves coordination and focus

I’ll be the first to admit I’m not the most coordinated but by the end of the workout, I had managed to navigate most of the choreography with ease. Steps-based, choreographed exercise like this requires you to concentrate on what’s coming next. This gives your brain as much of a workout as your body. By the end, I felt noticeably more coordinated and focused.

I felt less stressed

When I started the workout in my lunch break I felt stressed and anxious about my to-do list. But I’d forgotten how great step-count workouts make you feel. By the end, my mood had lifted, my stress levels had lowered and I felt calmer and more ready to tackle my workload.

You don’t need a gym membership to get fit

The beauty of this step-based workout is that you don’t need a gym membership, any equipment or even a lot of space. It’s perfect for remote workers, busy parents and anyone short on time. It’s a fast, fun and effective workout.

The best shoes for walking workouts

Want something soft and supportive for your daily strolls and step-count workouts? Here are three sneakers we like, which all feature in our round-up of the best walking shoes .

With super-stacked cushioning and a flexible upper, these soft shoes are ideal walking companions, especially on hard surfaces.

There's an incredible amount of grip on these shoes; we like them for off-the-beaten-path adventures and wet, muddy hikes.

Skechers Max Cushioning Elite Speed Play

These reasonably-priced shoes from Skechers have an impressively bouncy sole.