A Walking Habit for Older Adults
Start A Walking Habit 1. Walking is one of the most popular types of physical activity. And according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). Here, more than 145 million adults include walking as a part of their physically active lifestyles.
“Walking is a surprisingly powerful way to strengthen your muscles, bones, and connective tissues as well as reduce body fat. Also, increases endurance, and improves cardiovascular health. But the best part? It doesn’t require any special or expensive gear. As long as you have sneakers, you can do it. (Here are the best walking shoes for your feet, according to podiatrists.)
Is walking good for older adults?
Start A Walking Habit 1. The answer is yes—walking is good exercise for older adults, who are physically fit and able to do it. For example, walking is low impact, which means it’s a joint-friendly way to improve your overall health and fitness. The CDC says that walking briskly for 150 minutes a week, or 25 minutes per day, as your form of moderate physical activity, can actually help keep you healthy and even prevent disease.
But that’s just one of the benefits of walking. A 2016 study published in the journal Emotion shows that walking for as little as 12 minutes can boost your mood. Also walking with others can benefit your mental health, too. According to the National Institute on Aging, studies show a positive correlation between social interaction and the health and well-being of older adults. So then, walking with friends or family is good for your body and brain. (Just be sure to avoid making any of these common walking mistakes.)
What to consider before starting a walking Habit
Start A Walking Habit 1. The first step before starting a walking routine, or any new exercise regimen for that matter. Here, check with your doctor to be sure it’s safe. However, while it might feel like walking is simple and anyone can do it safely. But it’s a good idea to get a medical professional to sign off on it. Also, especially if you have underlying health issues. “We might be overlooking a physical health limitation or could uncover one. So then, it’s always a good idea to chat with your physician beforehand—even just for walking.”
Safety and planning for your walks
Start A Walking Habit 1. Before you head out to exercise, it’s a good idea to run through a checklist of all the things you might need in order to plan for the safest workout. “Make sure you’re wearing comfortable shoes, have a bottle of water, and a fully charged phone.” “If you have any medical needs that someone should know in case of an emergency, make sure you have the proper identification on you.”
Safety is of utmost importance, too—specifically if you’re heading out the door for some solo exercise. Be sure to let a friend, roommate, or family member know where you’re going, and for how long you expect to be gone.
This isn’t about being an alarmist, but rather planning ahead and being as safe as possible. “After that, if you’re walking alone, you might want to cue up some music and bring a pair of headphones,” “Just don’t have both ears covered or the music so loud that you can’t be mindful of car and bike traffic as you walk.”
Overuse injuries from walking
Start A Walking Habit 1. While you might think of walking as being an activity that’s hard to overdo, you can, in fact, have some issues if you jump in and try to do too much, too soon.
“There are some potential overuse injuries to be aware of such as plantar fasciitis, tendinitis, blisters, shin splints, and metatarsalgia,” “In the case of metatarsalgia, there may be a tear in the ligaments. But for the most part, these conditions are caused by some form of friction or inflammation in the tissues.” Metatarsalgia is a pain in the ball of the foot that can sometimes include numbness and tingling in the toes.
It’s important to evaluate and be honest about your fitness and activity level before beginning this walking program. To avoid the injuries mentioned above, you should start slowly. If you’ve been sedentary for a while, jumping into a new program can cause aches and pains.
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In Conclusion
Walking is a vastly underrated exercise, however, if it is used to your advantage as an exercise and not a slow saunter. But walking can produce some great results for overall health and fitness. Walking as an exercise is effective when you walk with purpose and briskly, a brisk pace will improve your cardio and physical fitness. In addition, it will strengthen muscles and connective tissues and also improve joints. Also, this is true, especially for uphill walking which enhances the great effects of walking.
Important Note *
Remember that everyone is different, it is ultimately YOUR RESPONSIBILITY to find what your body responds to. So please do your due diligence before trying anything new, including getting Medical Advice to ensure your safety and peace of mind.
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