Photo by Candid Shots from Pixabay
Sometimes I think there are as many exercise programs for Seniors as there are diets.
While I am a big proponent of yoga, one of the best and simplest exercises you can practice is walking. Unlike so many exercise programs, walking does not require a gym membership, a trainer, or expensive equipment. You just put one foot in front of the other and you’re on your way.
Most people realize that exercise helps burn calories and boosts energy leading to weight loss and other benefits. That is certainly true of walking. A regular stroll can improve cardiovascular health, moderate stress, and reduce high blood pressure.
There is a variety of lessor know, scientifically proven, benefits to walking.
Improves Immune System
As we age, many physical attributes change and require a little extra work to function at their best. This is not only true of muscles but also our immune system.
Walking regularly helps boost your immune system. Amidst a pandemic and at the beginning of the flu season, this is important to consider.
Adds Years To Your Life
If you have been a couch potato for a while and start walking or any other exercise program, you might feel the new activity is killing you. The opposite is true.
A 2015 study by St. George’s University Hospital, London, England found that walking 25 minutes a day added up to seven years to participants’ lives.
Reduces Arthritis Pain
“Walking is one of the most important things you can do if you have arthritis,” according to the Arthritis Foundation. By reducing or maintaining your weight, walking helps reduce the load on joints. It also lubricates joints and builds muscles around those joints to reduce strain.
As Good As Running
As a former runner myself, I always operated under the misconception that running provided more benefits than walking. However, it is not the intensity or speed of the workout that is important. It is calories burned.
A 2015 study at the Berkley Lab, University of California, Berkley found that walkers who used up the same amount of calories as runners got the same cardiovascular health benefits.
How To Start
You probably knew walking was a good idea. Now you know for sure and you know why it’s a good idea. So, ugh, how do you get started?
Like any exercise, start slow and build up.
A recent article from Harvard Medical School’s Harvard Health Publishing recommends beginning with a 10-minute walk daily.
The Arthritis Foundation also recommends starting slowly, noting that even walking five-minutes regularly can produce benefits.
Various sources recommend ultimately walking 30 minutes or more a day from five to seven days a week. If you count steps, the Arthritis Foundation recommends building up to about 6,000 steps per day.
Whether you can manage a five-minute walk three days a week or 30 plus minutes a day every day. You can always increase over time.
The key is to start now. Your heart will thank you, your knees will thank you, your immune system will thank you and it can help you live longer.