April 5th is National Walking Day, a day established by the American Heart Association to encourage people to get up and take a 30-minute walk each day. If there is a balance or health issue physical therapy services can offer guidance. Walking is an excellent form of exercise for your mom for the reasons listed here.
She Loses Weight and Others Can Join Her
Walking is a good way to lose or maintain your current weight. The faster your mom walks, the more calories she burns. This helps with weight management, and that is equally beneficial as that lowers the risk of diabetes.
Your mom doesn’t have to walk alone. Her family, friends, and caregivers can join her on walks. She has all of the company she wants, which is handy as that is likely to keep her distracted so that she walks farther.
Walks Are Easy to Fit Into a Daily Routine
Even if your mom isn’t used to a lot of exercise, she can slowly acclimate to walking. She can start with a walk to her mailbox or around her yard. As she starts to gain confidence, she can start walking to the end of her road, around her neighborhood, or into town.
When you’re free, you can drive to a state park and join your mom on some of the easy trails. Eventually, you can work up to longer walks and more difficult trails.
Even if she can only manage ten-minute walks at first, three of those per day bring her to the half-hour recommendation.
As long as your mom has a comfortable pair of shoes, she can walk. She doesn’t need special equipment as she would for activities like biking, skiing, or Yoga.
It Lowers Blood Pressure and It’s Not Overly Stressful on the Joints
When your mom goes for a walk, it gets her blood moving and distributes oxygen around her body. It’s also been found to lower systolic and diastolic blood pressure readings slightly. It also helps lower your resting heart rate by almost three beats per minute.
If your mom experiences arthritis pain in areas like her hips, knees, and ankles, walking is one of the best forms of exercise to ease the pain. Walking doesn’t put a lot of stress on these joints. It helps keep the joints lubricated and improves muscle tone in those areas.
Your mom may be overweight. If this is true, her weight may put more strain on the joints, but walking and weight loss will work together to help ease the soreness and inflammation that arthritis causes.
Work With a Physical Therapist
Your mom’s balance may be poor enough that even a walk is dangerous. It’s time to ask her doctor about the benefits of physical therapy. A physical therapist works with your mom to build muscle strength and improve balance through exercises and other therapies.
She’ll work with a physical therapist and continue to practice the exercises each day. As your mom’s balance and mobility improve, she’ll walk farther and on more challenging paths. Schedule physical therapy sessions now.
If you or a loved one need Physical Therapy Care Services in Nazareth PA or the surrounding areas, contact the caring professionals at Extended Family Care of Allentown. Call today at (610) 200-6097.
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