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What is wlaking?
All our health tips are great for everyone, and especially those aged 50+ who are looking to get more active during warmer weather.
The benefits of walking
Walking is one of the simplest forms of exercise because it is free and can be easily organized into your everyday routine. Here are some of its benefits:
- Burns calories – Burning more calories is essential for weight loss, which is what makes walking a great and easy way to be active. The number of calories burned will depend on several factors, such as the walking speed, total distance, current weight, and terrain.
- Strengthens the heart – The risk of coronary heart disease may be decreased gradually when you walk a minimum of 30 minutes per day, five days a week. This risk may be reduced even more when the amount of time and the distance that you walk every day is increased.
- Eases joint pain – Walking regularly will strengthen the muscles that support your joints, including the ankles, knees, hips, and lower back. Walking can also provide benefits to people who suffer from arthritis as it reduces pain by lubricating the joints through the act of movements.
- Boosts the immune system and energy levels – Walking may help increase the strength of your immune system. It can increase the circulation of blood in the body and facilitate the flow of oxygen. Walking can also increase hormones such as endorphins that will make you “feel-good”.
- Improves your mood – Walking is a great way to improve your mental health. It may help reduce anxiety and help increase one’s self-esteem, which is a great confidence booster.
- Extends your life – Because your cardiovascular health is stronger by staying active, the risk of early death may be reduced in those that walk at an average pace and on a regular basis.
How to keep motivated with walking?
Many people struggle to keep motivated by doing exercises, particularly when they have other priorities such as work or household chores or keeping up with family and friends. If this is the case, try to incorporate walking while you are taking care of these other priorities. Ideally you want to try to aim for 10,000 steps a day to keep your body healthy.
Therefore, one way to ensure that you remain active and maintain walking as a healthy habit is to include walking into your daily routine.
Here are some suggestions for you
- Walk a part of your way when you go to work or out shopping.
- Try and use the stairs whenever possible.
- Leave your car at home when going out for quick errands.
- Walk with the kids and grandkids to school.
- Organize a morning walking group with friends or neighbors.
If you have pain and have been looking into getting some help, or simply wanting to know what the cause of your knee pain is, remember we are always here to help you!
If you frequently injure yourself when starting your activity, or if you want to avoid injuring yourself while starting a new activity, you may need a musculoskeletal evaluation by a physiotherapist. Following the assessment, the physiotherapist will give you advice and exercises specific to your condition.
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