The 4 Best Exercises to Improve Walking & Leg Strength

If you’re noticing that you’ve slowed down as the years have stacked up, you’re not alone. Many aging adults find they can’t walk as long or as far as they used to and feel less sturdy on their feet. But with just a few simple exercises a day, you can get back to walking with confidence again with the top 4 exercises for improving walking and leg strength.

The 4 Best Exercises To Improve Walking & Leg Strength

Before getting into these exercises, it’s a good idea to know what your current level of physical fitness ability is. One of the best ways is by taking the “Sit To Stand Test”—a 30 second test that helps measure your lower body strength & endurance. Take the “Sit To Stand Test” now (Click Or Tap Here)

1. Marching On The Spot

When it comes to leg strengthening, there’s no need to overcomplicate things!

Marching on the spot is an excellent place to start; it’s the ideal warm-up to get your blood pumping and to prepare your leg muscles for some strength training. 

The trick here is finding the right intensity for your unique needs –  we like to say that’s the point where you can talk, but you can’t sing.

Skaters / Side Steps

Incorporating side steps into your workout routine is crucial as you age.  This is because side-to-side movements are rarely performed during our normal daily activities, and therefore carry a heightened risk for falls*

Side-steps and Skaters (side-steps where you’re more bent at the knees) target your outer thighs and strengthen your ankles.

And – as a bonus – they’ll leave you feeling ready for action the next time that you have to shuffle into a seat at your local theater! 

Squats 

There’s a good reason why squats are such a popular exercise: they’re your one-stop shop for targeting almost all of the major muscle groups in your legs (your obliques, glutes, hip abductors, hip flexors, and quadriceps), as well as strengthening your lower back and core. 

It’s crucial to have proper form while doing squats to avoid injury. This is why you should always follow a professional’s instructions – especially if squats aren’t already a part of your exercise routine.

Ankle Circles

Seated ankle circles are an excellent cool-down that almost anyone can do – they target often-neglected muscles crucial for walking. 

They’re also a great way to transition from leg-strengthening exercises into seated activity without going “straight to 0”. 

So… the next time you’ve just wrapped up your Better5 workout, try a few ankle circles – and let us know how you feel! 

The easiest way to ensure that you’re doing each of these exercises correctly is to follow along with a class led by one of our certified fitness instructors! 

You can walk longer & with more confidence by improving your leg strength with the 7 day “Improve Your Walk” class…

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