Skip to main content

Importance of walking for Senior Citizens

When one visits a physician or a health care facility, they are provided with recommendations on medication and how to take better care of themselves. Maintaining a healthy routine is often suggested during this process which most people choose to ignore. One might ask “what is meant by a healthy routine?” and the answer would be maintaining a sleep-wake cycle, eating nutritious food, and exercising. Now let’s talk about older adults. As a person ages, several changes start occurring in his/ her body such as weakening of immunity, problems in organ functioning, sensory difficulties, and general weakness. Therefore, maintaining a healthy lifestyle becomes even more important for people who are over 60. Evidence suggests that walking on a regular basis is extremely beneficial for older adults. The advantages are not only associated with physical health but also with social and emotional wellness.

The physical benefits of walking especially morning walks are described below:

  • Weight management– walking acts as a cardio exercise that helps in maintaining weight
  • Increased muscle strength– a lot of older adults experience general body weakness during the process of aging. Walking helps in strengthening muscles and prevention falls by improving posture
  • Better management of chronic conditions– Diabetes and Hypertension are common complaints amongst older adults. Since there is currently no cure for them, it becomes even more important to keep them controlled and reduce the risk of further damage to the body. Along with medication, gentle exercise like morning walks helps in preventing further deterioration.
  • Reduced risk of heart disease and stroke– as mentioned earlier, walking is cardio-based which helps in exercising all the major systems of the body e.g., circulatory and pulmonary systems. This acts as a protective factor in preventing serious illnesses like heart disease and stroke.

Walking also helps in maintaining the emotional health of an individual in the following manner:

  • Improved mood– Walking leads to the release of endorphins which help in mood regulation and reduction of stress.
  • Improved self-esteem.
  • Reduced risk of psychological illnesses and dementia– studies suggest that people who exercise regularly are at a lower risk of psychological and neurological illnesses like dementia.
  • Increased sense of general well-being.

There are not only physical and emotional benefits of walking but social as well. Social isolation is often one of the main concerns shared by older adults when their children leave home and settle elsewhere. Going out and being active gives seniors a chance to be a part of a larger community and a daily walk can be an opportunity to meet new people every day. Sardar Fauja Singh is an exemplary figure in this regard. After experiencing multiple personal setbacks in his life, at the age of 93, he completed a marathon in approximately 7 hours! Clearly, walking has multiple health benefits and is something seniors must incorporate into their daily schedule.

Your subscription could not be saved. Please try again.
Your subscription has been successful.

Subscribe to our newsletter and stay updated.

The post Importance of walking for Senior Citizens appeared first on Samvedna Senior Care.



from Samvedna Senior Care https://ift.tt/3ur8nZg
via IFTTT
Labels:

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

For Family Caregivers, A New Year’s Resolution Can Inspire Your Best Year Yet

If you are among the 8% of Americans who actually accomplish their New Year’s resolution goals , well done! However, if you are like the majority of us, you’ve given up prior to even turning the calendar page to February. Although it is undoubtedly commendable to attempt to better ourselves by resolving to lose 10 pounds or with healthier living, for busy family caregivers, there are truly meaningful, achievable goals that will improve life all through the year. Consider these recommendations: Find joy. Looking after somebody else is a labor of love, but can also bring about challenges, which makes it hard to concentrate on the daily benefits that spark joy. Devote some time on a daily basis to pause and discover a reason to smile. Bring a sense of humor to your daily caregiving tasks, sharing laughter together with your loved one. Enjoy the feeling of the sunlight shining through the window as you’re folding laundry. And make time to call someone who lifts your spirits for a brief...
Post a Comment
Read more

Dads and Pops: Your Good Health Matters to Us 

Did you know  June is  Men’s Health Month  and Father’s Day anchors Men’s Health Week ?   Celebrate dad on Father’s Day and thank him for all he  has  done, but  also  make sure to seize an opportunity sometime this month to have a conversation with him about his health. This awareness campaign has the critical purpose of informing men   that avoiding preventive healthcare puts them at real and serious risk of  contracting a disease or  acquiring  a chronic condition.   Studies consistently  show the numbers go against men , particularly as they advance into their senior years.   Even with dramatic advances in diagnosis and treatment over the past 100 years, men’s life expectancy still lags significantly behind women. According to  Harvard Health ,  the gap is widening. In 1900, the life expectancy for women was 48.3 years vs. 46.3 for men. In 2017, it was 81.1 years for women vs. 76.1 for men. Harvard...
Post a Comment
Read more

How Does Caregiving Stress Affect Your Career?

Lots of caregivers believe that the stress they experience as a part of caregiving is something that they only experience in that situation. But stress doesn’t care where you are or what you’re doing. If you ignore it, you’ll find the effects of stress following you even to your career and that can be bad for multiple reasons. Stress Is Everywhere Stress is a normal part of life. It’s literally everywhere and it takes the form of both “good” stress and “bad” stress. So-called good stress makes you alert to dangers and can keep you from making mistakes that could prove harmful to you. Bad stress is stress that takes a toll on you mentally and physically. It’s a result of being hypervigilant for too long. Stress Doesn’t Stay in Categories Something else to understand about stress is that it doesn’t stay boxed up neatly. Your stress as a caregiver will flow into the rest of your life, including your career and your other relationships, unless you take steps to manage it appropriat...
Post a Comment
Read more