Health, Aging & Wellness
Walking or Rolling Exercise
If you get: • Fewer than 5,000 steps a day, gradually add 3,000 to 4,000 more steps a day. • About 8,000 steps a day, you’re probably meeting the recommended activity target. • 10,000 or more steps a day, you can be confident that you’re getting an adequate amount of endurance activity. • 10,000 steps a day comfortably, try for 15,000 steps a day, which would put you in the high activity group. Walking or wheelchair rolling are simple ways to be active. You can do it alone, with friends, even with your dog! Try one of these types of walking or rolling to get active today: 1. Nordic walking 2. Hiking 3. Walking the dog 4. Mall walking 5. Rolling 6. Race walking Strength training will make it easier to: • Lift your carry-on bag into the overhead bin of the airplane. • Carry groceries in from the car. • Pick up bags of mulch. Balance exercises help you: • Turn around quickly when you’re on a walk and hear a bicycle bell behind you. • Walk along a cobblestone path without losing your balance. • Stand on tiptoe to reach something on a top shelf.
Brisk walking is great exercise, and like other endurance exercises, it can increase your heart rate and breathing. Endurance exercises keep you healthy, improve your fitness, and help you do the tasks you need to do every day. For some, walking for the recommended 30 minutes a day might be difficult. If so, try walking for 10 minutes at a time and build up to three times a day. As your endurance improves, walk longer until you can advance to a single 30-minute walk. As your walk becomes easier, add new challenges, such as climbing a hill, extending the time you walk, increasing your walking pace, or adding an additional day of walking. Step counters can help you keep track of your walking, set goals, and measure your progress. Most inactive people get fewer than 5,000 steps a day, and some very inactive people get only 2,000 steps a day. Try wearing a step counter for a few days to see how you’re doing. Exercise and physical activity aren’t just good for your mind and body, it can help you stay active and mobile as you age! Regularly including all 4 types of exercise will give you a wide range of real-life benefits. Endurance activities help you: • Keep up with your grandchildren during a trip to the park. • Dance to your favorite songs at the next family wedding. • Rake the yard and bag up the leaves.
Quick Tip Be sure to wear sturdy shoes that give you proper footing. For more information, visit: https://go4life.nia.nih.gov/finding- the-right-fitness-shoes-and-clothes/ Safety • Walk during the day or in well-lit areas at night, and be aware of your surroundings. • To prevent injuries, be sure to use safety equipment. • Dress in layers when exercising outdoors so you can add or remove clothes if you get cold or hot. • Be sure to drink plenty of liquids when doing any activity that makes you sweat. • Do a little light activity to warm up and cool down before and after your endurance activities. Source: National Institute on Aging at NIH
Real Life Benefits of Exercise and Physical Activity
Flexibility exercises make it easier to: • Bend down to tie your shoes. • Look over your shoulder as you’re backing out of the driveway. • Stretch to clean hard to reach areas of the house.
Page 12 | October 2019, Never Too Late
Pima Council on Aging
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