Practice Safe Walking for Your Health at Any Age!
Exercise can become more difficult as we age, due to a loss of flexibility, balance, illness, disability, or a host of other issues. However, a lack of regular exercise can lead to 20-40% muscle loss over time, which can contribute to additional physical ailments. It’s important to try and maintain a healthy lifestyle, even when it becomes harder to find the time or type of exercise that works for your ability level.
Walking is an extremely beneficial exercise for people of all ages, but it is especially beneficial for people as they age due to the relative ease at which it can be accomplished. Not only can it be done almost anywhere, but walking can also serve several different purposes such as becoming an environmentally friendly substitution for driving an automobile. Studies show that you can experience physical improvements to your health with only three to four hours of walking a week. That’s only about 30 minutes a day!
If you’re looking for a way to improve your healthy lifestyle habits as you age, consider a walking routine. Here are some important facts about walking and recommendations for how to build a safe walking routine into your life.
Health Benefits of Walking
A simple, consistent walking routine can have many health benefits including:
- Lower Blood Pressure
- Strengthened Cardiovascular system
- Balanced Insulin Production
- Weight Loss or Maintenance
- Increased Flexibility
- Lower Cholesterol
- Increased Level of Endorphins for Improved Mental Health
4 Tips to Begin a Walking Routine
- Enlist a friend to join you!
- Track your progress from one week to the next to celebrate improvements. You can easily do with this with an app on your phone or smart watch.
- Join a walking group.
- Combine activities such as walk to the store, or volunteer somewhere that requires walking such as a museum, a zoo or a park.
Safe Walking Tips and Reminders
Even though walking can be a relatively low-impact, safe activity to do almost anywhere, there are some safety measures you should consider.
- If you walk early in the morning, or later in the evening or night, it may be hard for cars to see you. Make sure you wear reflective clothing and avoid wearing all dark colors.
- If it’s cold outside, wear sufficient layers so that you aren’t exposing parts of your body to the cold for a significant amount of time as you are outside.
- If it’s hot outside, make sure that you wear cool clothing and a hat, bring a bottle of water with you, and stay hydrated throughout the day.
- Before you start a routine, get fitted for a proper walking shoe to minimize injuries to your feet and legs. You should also evaluate your shoes every three to six months for wear and tear and replace as necessary.
- Pay close attention to all crosswalk signs and traffic signals. Don’t ever assume that a car sees you until you make eye contact with the driver if you are crossing at a stop sign or crosswalk.
- If you can, always walk with a friend or a group. Not only will this add to the enjoyment of the activity, but it is also a safer way to exercise.
Building a walking routine into your daily life is an important part of maintaining a healthy lifestyle as you age. If you are recovering from a surgery or need additional help around the home as you work up to getting back to optimal health, contact us at 24/7 Nursing Care. We provide post-surgical assistance and companion care in the short-term or long-term. We can help you get back on your feet and back to living the life you love. Give us a call at (855) 687 – 7344.
References:
Stepping Out Mature Adults: Be Healthy, Walk Safely, DOT HS 809 556. (n.d.). Retrieved March 28, 2018, from https://one.nhtsa.gov/people/injury/olddrive/SteppingOut/resources.html
