Physical activity is important at every age for healthy bones. Exercise will improve bone heath, increases muscle strength, coordination, balance and leads to better overall health. Exercise as simple as walking, when done properly is an excellent form of exercise that is feasible for most people to incorporate into their daily lifestyles. Walking also has a positive impact on fitness, strength, functional independence, cardiac health and weight.
However, walking with a toddler, shopping and pushing a stroller are not as effective. Unless the stroller is an exercise stroller that will allow the pusher to walk briskly or run. Walking a dog can be an excellent motivator if the dog allows one to walk at a good pace for at least 30 mins without stopping. Walking has to be brisk and done regularly for 3 – 4 times per week, for 30 – 60 minutes. Additional loads such as carrying handheld, wrist or ankle weights are not advisable due to the risk of joint damage or injury. The pace of walking should be set so that the person is able to talk but not carry on a conversation while walking. Hence, it is important to walk with others who can match with own pace.
Stretching should be incorporated into the warm up prior to and cool down following physical activity. It should be prescribed for every major joint in the body including the knee, hip, upper and lower back, neck, shoulder and elbow. As a starting point, all of the major muscle groups should be stretched a minimum of 4 times during a session, starting with a 10s hold and progressing to 4 repeats of the stretch and holding each for 30s, 2 – 3 days per week.
Perhaps now you have some physical activities / stretches that you’re supposed to be doing everyday but aren’t. We tend to treat tasks like these as homework. But if you can change your mind and think of them as indulgences, or something nice you can do to care for your body, for example, doing facial masks / hair scalp treatment, you might be more inclined to keep up with them. It’s one of those cases where we have the power to heal ourselves, if only we make ourselves the priority.
When you can, walk outside rather than on a machine at the gym. And whenever you have the opportunity, walk on unpaved ground. The little bumps and hills of natural will activate different muscles. It challenges your strength, balance and coordination, giving you a more thorough workout, so why not?
Think about being 80, you don’t want to be complaining , “ I should have done those stretches! Then maybe I wouldn’t have this constant pain in my hamstring now. ”
Questions on proper stretching on different muscle groups? Drop by our office and we will clear your doubts.
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