Benefits of walking to live longer!

Benefits of walking to live longer!

To get the most benefits from your walks:

Walk for at least 30 minutes daily is strongly recommended: Start a walking group to have support and keep your commitment.

If your schedule does not allow a 30-60 minute walk you can walk in several shorter bursts here and there throughout your day.

 The pace at which you walk will likely contribute to the number of steps you take. There is a definite connection between daily step count and pace of steps which contribute to increased health benefit.

Recommended steps is 9,000- 10,000/day, at least 3-5 times per week. Pace is important too. Aim for 80-112 steps per minute. The most health benefits are from  walking more briskly.

I suggest you get a walking buddy to keep you motivated and committed.  We started a walking group for senior women and walk together 3-4 times a week. We make it more interesting by picking different parks in our community. Group leader posts a weekly schedule of where we will be walking.  Ask your members, family or friends to join you so you create a buddy system.  

Taking 10,000 steps a day can help you live longer, but how fast you go matters. Try mixing up walking at a regular pace for 40 steps and then 40 steps at a faster pace for a 20 minute duration. This really contributes to building strength and endurance.

Maintaining a certain frequency 3-5 days a week is key when wanting to build strength and endurance. I suggest you use a tracker to know how far you have walked.  Start out with a goal of 1 mile and gradually build up to 2-3 miles/walk.  This can be accomplished in less than an hour. Taking a specified number of steps and keeping up with a particular pace can all be helpful in lowering your risk of dementia, cardiovascular disease, cancer and even premature death.

 

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