The Treadmill Workout That Thousands of People Swear By to Lose Weight and Lower Blood Pressure

Working out in the pandemic — and especially in the dead of winter — is a challenge for so many of us. You may be forced to stay at home for long periods of time without access to little more than an old treadmill. Or, maybe you’ve got access to a gym but you don’t want to move around too much while you’re there.

Luckily, there’s a simple treadmill exercise you can do to make sure you aren’t just lounging around all day. The 12-3-30 workout was first created by influencer and YouTuber Lauren Giraldo, who said she’s used it to lose weight and stay in shape over the years.

What is the 12-3-30 workout?

The 12-3-30 workout couldn’t be simpler: Giraldo just sets her treadmill to an incline of 12 percent and a speed of three miles per hour and walks for 30 minutes total. That’s it — seriously!

@laurengiraldo

Game changer honestly

♬ original sound – Lauren Giraldo

Sometimes exercise routines can get extremely complicated, so it’s nice to have a simple workout where you can leave the settings where they are and just do it.

What are the health benefits?

Experts say that the 12-3-30 workout has many of the same health benefits as other forms of cardio, particularly incline walking. It can help you burn fat, strengthen your heart, and build muscle, all of which are important to maintaining your physical well-being over time.

However, the workout’s incline, speed, and overall timeframe might be hard for some people depending on their starting fitness level. Most people can’t just go from a completely sedentary lifestyle to walking at a 12 percent incline for half an hour. Definitely start with what you can — even walking on a flat surface for 10 minutes can be great for your health — and work your way up in terms of incline, speed, and duration to vary your workout.

And hey, maybe come spring and summer when it’s warmer, you can move all of that incline walking to the great outdoors.