About this topic
Walking is an easy, safe, and cheap form of exercise. You can walk anywhere at anytime and you do not need any equipment besides a good pair of shoes. Many overlook this exercise as too easy, but walking is a good way to keep you healthy. Walking has many benefits, including: ‚
- Helping your body work better
- Increases the amount of oxygen that you take in
- Strengthens your heart
- Improves blood flow
- Lowers blood pressure
- Lowers bad cholesterol and raises good cholesterol
- Preventing illnesses
- Decreases risk of getting type 2 diabetes
- Slows the start of arthritis
- Slows the loss of bone mass
- Improving how you look and feel
- Tones your muscles
- Reduces stress
- Improves your mood
- Manages weight
- Increases your body image and confidence
- Helps you to sleep better
- May decrease back pain and pain from arthritis
General
- When you go out to walk for the first time, do not force yourself to go far. Stop if you are feeling very tired. You may go further as you do more walking.
- Warm up for the first couple minutes by walking at an easy pace. Do gentle stretching exercises and then begin walking at a moderate pace. Do this for 15 minutes. Cool down by walking at an easy pace for another 5 minutes. Do a couple more gentle stretches when you are finished.
- Try to add 5 minutes each day to your walking program until you are walking about an hour total.
- Try walking at least 3 to 4 times a week.
Here are pointers in doing this exercise the right way: ‚
- Swing your arms while walking.
- Keep your back straight and head up.
- Take a long but comfortable stride. Do not strain your legs.
- Take deep breaths while walking. Breathe in through your nose and out through your mouth.
When do I need to call the doctor?
Call your doctor if you have concerns about your activities. ‚
Helpful tips
- Use sneakers or walking shoes. Shoes should give your foot good support with rubber or nonslip soles. Choose shoes that have a supportive arch, a roomy toe box, and stiff material at the heel. Ask an experienced salesperson to help you pick out the right pair of shoes.
- Wear comfortable clothes.
- Do warm-up exercises before and cool-down exercises after walking.
- Bring a bottle of water with you and take drinks often when walking.
- Use a pedometer to measure how many steps you take in a day. A pedometer is a device you can clip to your belt or shirt to measure the steps you take each day.
- If you have a pedometer, aim for 10,000 steps per day. You will be surprised at how many steps you take doing your daily tasks.
- Try walking with a friend to make the walk more fun.
- Consider using a walking stick or pole to help with balance and to build upper body strength.
- Walk in different places.
- Be safe when walking. Carry a cell phone if you are walking alone.
- Try to add more walking into your daily routines:
- Take the stairs instead of going on an elevator.
- Park far away from places to get in more steps.
Where can I learn more?
American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons ‚
http://orthoinfo.aaos.org/topic.cfm?topic=A00419 ‚
Consumer Information Use and Disclaimer
This information is not specific medical advice and does not replace information you receive from your health care provider. This is only a brief summary of general information. It does NOT include all information about conditions, illnesses, injuries, tests, procedures, treatments, therapies, discharge instructions or life-style choices that may apply to you. You must talk with your health care provider for complete information about your health and treatment options. This information should not be used to decide whether or not to accept your health care providers advice, instructions or recommendations. Only your health care provider has the knowledge and training to provide advice that is right for you. ‚
Copyright
Copyright ‚ © 2015 Clinical Drug Information, LLC and Lexi-Comp, Inc. ‚