Walk your way to good health this summer
Caregivers’ corner
Summertime in upstate New York is a great time to walk for good health.
We are fortunate in our area to have many options to choose from when we lace up our walking shoes. One of my favorites is the Albany County Helderberg-Hudson Rail Trail that stretches from the city of Albany to Voorheesville. The wide trail, which is paved from Albany to Slingerlands, makes for excellent walking for all ages and abilities.
Outside our front doors, many of us have sidewalks, which make for pedestrian-friendly places to exercise. The campus of the University at Albany is a great place to walk if you live nearby. If you have a bit more travel time, our region is fortunate to have numerous wooded trails and nature centers, like Five Rivers Environmental Education Center in Delmar.
Why walk?
The National Institute on Aging notes that brisk walking is great exercise, and like other endurance exercises, can improve heart and lung functioning. Endurance exercises help keep you healthy, improve your fitness, and make it easier to do everyday life’s routine tasks. And, don’t overlook that good health enables you to enjoy a fun and active lifestyle as well.
Are you new to walking for fitness? Of course, check with your doctor before beginning any new exercise program.
The NIA recommends walking for the 30 minutes a day. If that’s too much, you could try walking for 10 minutes at a time and build up to three times a day. In time, you may advance to a single 30-minute walk. As your walk becomes easier, add new challenges, such as climbing a hill, extending the time you walk, increasing your walking pace, or adding an additional day a week of walking.
Step counters can help you keep track of your walking, set goals, and measure your progress. Once you know how many steps you average, you can set a goal to walk more.
To get a sense, the NIA reports that inactive people generally get fewer than 5,000 steps a day, while those who are very inactive get only 2,000 daily steps. A goal of 8,000 steps daily meets a recommended activity target, while a daily total of 10,000 is even better.
If you hit 15,000 steps a day, you’re in a high activity group! The NIA has more Go4Life fitness tips for older adults at www.nia.nih.cov/Go4Life.
Where are your favorite local places to walk for good health? I would love to know and will share your responses here and on the Community Caregivers’ Facebook page.
Community Caregivers Inc. is a not-for-profit organization that provides non-medical services including transportation and caregiver support at no charge to residents of Guilderland, Bethlehem, Altamont, New Scotland, Berne, Knox and the city of Albany through a strong volunteer pool of dedicated individuals with a desire to assist their neighbors.
Our funding is derived in part from the Albany County Department for Aging, the New York State Office for the Aging, and the United States Administration on Aging. To find out more about our services, as well as volunteer opportunities, please visit www.communitycaregivers.org or call us at (518) 456-2898.
Editor’s note: Linda Miller is the Outreach and Education coordinator for Community Caregivers Inc.