Did you know that walking just 30 minutes per day has impressive health benefits, especially for seniors?

Whether you’re walking indoors or outside, walking can help improve physical health, emotional health, and help to prevent injuries and illness. No wonder our walking club is so popular!

Best of all, it doesn’t matter when you start. A Harvard University study of seniors who began a walking program between the ages of 70 and 89 showed that after two and a half years, participants were far less likely to have experienced disability.

Benefits of Walking for Seniors

• Strength and balance. Walking builds strength in the legs, feet, and hips, and helps with balance. Stronger legs and better balance means more stability, and prevention against falls and hip fractures.
• Heart health. Walking is associated with lowered blood pressure. In fact, women who participated in a walking program for thirty minutes daily improved their systolic blood pressureby 11 points in 24 weeks.
• Better mood. Who couldn’t use a mood booster? Walking, like all cardiovascular exercise, releases endorphins to boost mood and support emotional health.
• Mental sharpness and clarity. Studies show that walking slows mental decline and decreases Alzheimer’s risk. In a University of California study, women over 65 years old who walked regularly had less mental decline than women who did not walk regularly. And, a University of Virginia Health System study found that men between the ages of 71 and 93 who walked more than a quarter of a mile per day had half the incidence of dementia and Alzheimer’s disease, compared to those who walked less.

Want to work more walking into your day? Try these tips:

• Find a walking club in your area. Sunnyside Manor has a weekly walking club for our residents. Walking clubs offer great exercise and a fun time to socialize.
• Consider using a fitness tracker to count steps and distance each day. It’s great motivation to keep moving! Simplified step trackers are perfect for seniors.
• Take the long way. Seek out opportunities to add extra steps to your day, like parking a little farther away when the weather is pleasant.
• Wear the right shoes. It’s easy to enjoy walking when your shoes are comfortable and properly sized. If it has been some time since you last exercised, get fitted for new shoes. (Feet change as people age.) For extra motivation, shoes in a favorite color or fun pattern are hard to resist!
• Walk with a friend or a senior loved one. It’s the perfect opportunity to spend uninterrupted time together while improving your health.

Walk with us! See our walking club and more exercise programs on our Independence ‘Plus’ Assisted Living calendar, Recollections calendar, and Skilled Nursing calendar.
 
The all new Sunnyside Manor, located in Wall NJ, is the area’s premier senior living community. It features three distinctive neighborhoods: Independence ‘Plus’ Assisted Living, Recollections, and Skilled Nursing.