Tag Archives: health benefits of walking

7 Tips for Staying Motivated and Getting Back on Track

Posted by Brooke Phillips on July 17, 2013 under Resources | Be the First to Comment

Image courtesy of the American Council on Exercise®

Finding it difficult to get out of bed in the morning for your daily workout? Even the most dedicated exercisers occasionally get bored with their routines. Waning motivation, cutting workouts short and not having your old enthusiasm all are signs of a stale exercise regimen. Before you call it quits on your New Year’s resolution, try these 7 tips for staying motivated and getting back on track!

1. Change It Up

Evaluate your routine to determine what really bores you. If you’ve always walked indoors, move your workout outside for a change of scenery: hike on trails, walk through a park or around a lake. Not sure what trails are nearby? This Trailfinder can show you local hiking and walking trails with your city, state and zip code.

2. Good Company

Walking alone can be an oasis of solitude in a busy day, but maybe you need some company. Ask a friend to be your walking partner — you’re much less likely to skip a workout if someone is waiting for you! Just about every sport or activity has a club; to find one, ask around at gyms or local community centers. Keeping up with the crowd also means that you’ll be challenged to improve and to take your walking workouts to a new level. The Walking Site has links to help you find walking clubs and groups near you.

3. Challenge Yourself

Many exercisers walk simply to stay in shape, and most of the time that’s just fine. But setting a goal, such as walking a 5k or 10k race — especially one that benefits a charity or cause such as fighting heart disease — will give your daily workouts more meaning. (The Relay for Life is one example, although there are many different walks and races for a great causes!) Start by incorporating bursts of speed into your walks. After a gentle warm-up, alternate a fast pace with a slower one for recovery. This can be as simple as speed walking to the next tree, or as structured as timed intervals on a track or walking up stadium steps.

4. Add Variety

Elite triathletes pioneered the concept of cross-training, and it works for the rest of us, too. If you usually focus on one activity, such as walking, substitute another a few days a week. Consider adding 1–2 days of strength training exercises to your routine. Ideally, any exercise program should include moderate-intensity aerobic physical activity, muscle strengthening exercise and flexibility. A certified personal trainer can help you if you’ve never tried this type of workout.

5. New Gadgets and Gear

Small exercise gadgets aren’t necessary, but they can make your workouts more fun and challenging. Pedometers, heart-rate monitors and MP3 players are just a few items to consider. Are you a numbers person? Activity trackers, such as the Nike FuelBand, Fitbit One, Jawbone Up and BodyMedia Fit Link offer advanced activity tracking with daily customizable goals. Find out which new training gadgets are available, and which ones appeal to you. Even buying new walking shoes or clothes can inspire you to get out and use them.

6. Identify the Trigger

When you’ve lapsed from exercise, identify where you went wrong. Was it illness, bad weather, travel or staying busy with a big project at work? Figure out what caused you to break your good habits and ways you can avoid this in the future. Then look at your schedule to see where you can fit in your daily walks. Even if you have limited time, try to fit a couple of 10–15 minute brisk walks in during the day. Remember, some exercise is far better than none, but aim get at least 150 minutes (2½ hours) per week of moderate-intensity aerobic activity. See this article for creative ways to fit fitness into a busy schedule.

7. Take a Break

Sometimes you really do need time off, either mentally or physically. In that case, cut back on your usual routine or tweak it. You might even find a new twist that you enjoy more than your old standby. Once you’ve fought your first battle with boredom, you’ll know the tricks to keep your routine from becoming too routine. Trying new routes, new challenges and new activities — and learning how to throw a little variety into your tried-and-true routine — can help you avoid making creative excuses to not exercise.

For more health information and useful tips, visit our Resources Blog on Total Home Care Supplies. For incontinence, ostomy, urological or wound supplies, visit our Total Home Care Supplies web store. Fitness information provided by the American Heart Association and the American Council on Exercise.

Care More. Spend Less. Save Now.

Health Benefits of Walking: Time of Day Tips

Posted by Brooke Phillips on May 10, 2013 under Resources | Be the First to Comment

Image courtesy of the American Council on Exercise

Are you walking your way to better health? Walking for fitness has proven and measurable health benefits, and it’s completely free! Among other benefits, a regular walking program can:

Boost your immune system
Increase bone strength
Reduce risk for Glaucoma, Alzheimer’s and Colon Cancer
Prevent weight gain
Increase your energy and stamina
Reduce cholesterol and lower blood pressure

When’s the best time to go walking? Anytime you can fit it in! The US Department of Health and Human Services, the American Heart Association and the American College of Sports Medicine have all agreed that two 10-minute walking sessions will benefit us almost as much as one 20-minute session. You just need a total of at least 2½ hours each week (that’s about 20 minutes a day). Here are some time-of-day tips for early morning, mid-day and evening walkers.

Tips for Early Morning Walkers:

The night before, get your walking clothes and shoes ready so it’s easy to put them on and head out the door.
Program your Ipod or MP3 player with an upbeat music playlist, or set it to your favorite radio station to help keep you moving at a brisk pace. Just make sure you can still hear traffic, and take extra care when crossing intersections.
If it’s dark outside, wear light colors or clothing with reflective stripes so motorists can see you.
Watch a morning news show or check your email while gently stretching your calves and hamstrings at the end of your walk..

Tips for Lunchtime Walkers:

Schedule your lunchtime walk in your work calendar. Think of it as an important appointment – which it is!
If you can, keep everything you’ll need for walking at work. This way you won’t find yourself saying “I forgot my shoes. I can’t go.”
Recruit a couple of colleagues to join you. You can help keep each other motivated, and good conversation makes the time pass quickly!
Depending on your walking pace and the weather, you may be able to wear your work clothes and just switch to athletic shoes. . If you’re walking briskly, you’ll heat up after about 10 minutes, so avoid the tendency to overdress.
Pick a route where you can grab a healthy snack or lunch at the end of your walk, or better yet, pack your own.

Tips for After-Work Walkers:

Have a light snack at about 4 p.m. (for example, a low-fat yogurt and a handful of almonds, or an apple and a piece of cheese) so you don’t experience a late-day dip in energy and talk yourself out of walking.
Pick an area that’s not heavily trafficked, since rush hour can affect the quality of the air.
Walk tall, and do some backward shoulder rolls and gentle neck stretches to relieve work stress.
If it’s dark, wear light-colored clothing, or clothing with reflective strips so motorists can see you.

Most importantly, have fun!

For more health information and useful tips, visit our Resources Blog on TotalHomeCareSupplies.com. To shop for incontinence, ostomy, urological or wound supplies, visit our Total Home Care Supplies web store.

Care More. Spend Less. Save Now.

4 Ways to Make Walking More Fun

Posted by Brooke Phillips on May 2, 2013 under Resources | Be the First to Comment

Image courtesy of the American Council on Exercise® and the American Heart Association

Is your daily walking routine growing stale? Try changing things up! New routines not only keep things fresh, they force us to use new muscles, making our workouts more productive. Sticking to a familiar workout routine may be comfortable, but your body become more efficient and burns fewer calories. It’s also easier to get bored and lose motivation when your workout is the same each day. Here are 4 ways to make your daily walk more fun:

1. Urban walk. Take your walk into the city! Start at a slow pace for five minutes. After you’re warmed up, alternate between a slow and rapid pace for each city block. Take flights of stairs two at a time. Find a bus stop or a park bench and do some stretching to cool down. If you enjoy people-watching, an urban walk will make the time fly by.

2. Mall walk. Tired of the same outdoor route? Take your workout to the nearby mall. Indoor malls offer a safe environment with restrooms, water, snacks, and interesting sights, no matter the weather or time of day. It works well for groups, too; catch up with your friends and burn calories at the same time!

3. Forest or creek walk. If you normally walk in the city, take your walk to the closest park or to rural hiking paths. If you’re used to pavement, start with easy trails. The uneven ground will challenge new muscles, but keep an eye out for roots or rocks that could trip you. Carry bottled water and dress in layers. Look for waterfalls, local wildlife, or other natural wonders.

4. Meditation walk. Try to turn your spinning thoughts off and turn your focus inside. Feel the soles of your feet meeting the ground and notice the pressure changes as you stride. Take deep breaths and savor the air filling your lungs. Listen for the hum of insects, birds or people. Awaken all your senses to what you hear, see, smell, and feel.

Do you have more creative walking ideas? We’d love to hear them!

For more health information and useful tools, visit our Resources Blog on Total Home Care Supplies. For incontinence, ostomy, urological or wound supplies, visit our online store on TotalHomeCareSupplies.com.

Care More. Spend Less. Save Now.

Fitting Fitness Into a Busy Schedule

Posted by Brooke Phillips on April 26, 2013 under Resources | Read the First Comment

Image courtesy of the American Council on Exercise

Unless you’ve been living under a rock, you’ve heard that exercise is good for you – and that regular exercise is best. What’s the best time to exercise? Anytime! Of course for most of us, actually finding time to exercise is a workout by itself. With days crammed full of work, family and errands, personal activities like exercise tend to be the first on the chopping block.

Enter: walking. Even with a busy schedule, you can find creative ways to fit in a couple of quick 10-minute walking sessions, and presto! You’re on an exercise program. The US Department of Health and Human Services, the American Heart Association and the American College of Sports Medicine have all agreed that two 10-minute walking sessions will benefit us almost as much as one 20-minute session. You just need to fit in a total of 2½ hours over the course of a week (that’s about 20 minutes a day). What are the health benefits of walking? Surprisingly, just walking daily improves cholesterol, boosts bone strength, lowers blood pressure, helps prevent weight gain and increases energy and stamina. It also reduces glaucoma risk, halves your odds of catching a cold, and even reduces your risk for Alzheimer’s and colon cancer, among other benefits.

You can squeeze in those 10–15 minute sessions by stretching your legs around the neighborhood after work, walking to a lunch spot that’s 10 minutes away or heading to the corner store for a few items. Instead of trying to find the closest parking spot when you’re going to the store or out to meet friends, park a little further away and use the extra time you would have spent searching for a close spot to walk there. If you take the bus, get off a stop early. Here are a few more creative scheduling suggestions:

During the work day, take the long way to the copier or restroom. Walk over to talk to someone instead of calling. Instead of a coffee break, take a 10-minute walk break! You’ll burn a few extra calories and help prevent the muscle stiffness that comes from sitting in a chair all day.
To catch up with an old friend, schedule a walk together. It’s a great way to get some exercise and fresh air while you’re enjoying each other’s company. Chances are that you’ll be so focused on the conversation that you’ll walk farther than you planned.
Discuss business plans with colleagues while going for a short walk instead of sitting at a desk. See if you can develop a new corporate culture of “walking meetings.”
On weekends, take a family walk and reconnect with your family members. If the kids want to go to the park or a friend’s house, great! Walk together to get there.
Turn shopping into an aerobic activity. Shopping is walking, so don’t stop for 10 minutes straight and before you know it, you’ve worked in one of your daily sessions. Check with your local mall for mall walker programs, and you’ll have company.

Have any other creative walking suggestions? We’d love to hear them!

Care More. Spend Less. Save Now.

Cognitive Decline at 45? Six Ways To Protect Your Aging Brain

Posted by Brooke Phillips on April 25, 2013 under Resources | Read the First Comment

It’s no surprise to any of us that our memory and comprehension skills deteriorate as we age. However, surprising new research reports that mental decline may start much earlier than was previously believed – possibly as early as age 45! With so many of us working longer and living longer, preventing cognitive decline is increasingly important. Fortunately, what’s good for our hearts is often good for our brains. Read on for six easy ways to protect your aging brain:

Education. Keep mentally active! Our brains produce twice the number of neurons they’ll will need in childhood, but only neurons that are reinforced with use will remain. Take a class in something new, read a book on something that intrigues you, or take a few minutes for a morning crossword puzzle over coffee. Constantly learning and challenging your brain will help you retain neurons and fight age-related cognitive decline.
Exercise. People who suffer from one or more risk factors for heart disease – including obesity, high blood pressure or high cholesterol – are not only at an increased risk for heart attack and stroke, but their risk of dementia skyrockets, too. Just walking regularly for 30-45 minutes 3-5 times a week can protect both your heart and your brain. Now that’s an investment with high returns! See this article on the health benefits of walking, and for a 6 week beginner walking plan.
Rest. Sleep deprivation early in life is linked to memory loss as we age. And losing just two hours of sleep a night – sleeping 6 hours instead of 8 – will hinder your thinking and memory the next day. Sleep deprivation is also linked to higher risks of heart disease, diabetes and obesity. Make adequate, restful sleep a priority! 8 hours a night may help prevent memory loss in both the immediate and long term.
Healthy Diet. Just like with exercise, what benefits the body also benefits the brain. Eat a healthy diet, keep indulgences within moderation, maintain healthy cholesterol levels and your memory will thank you! New research is showing that certain foods boost cognitive function, too – see this article on the 5 best foods for your brain.
Reduce Stress. Chronic stress drives our bodies to release corticosteroids (stress hormones). Over time, or in large quantities, these hormones will wear away the neurons in the hippocampus as well as weaken our immune systems. So if you’re managing chronic stress, it’s not only affecting your health – it’s also potentially damaging your memory and increasing your rate of cognitive decline. Take stress seriously! Here are 23 scientifically-backed ways to reduce chronic stress.
Hypertension (High Blood Pressure). As we age, our brains actually lose weight and begin to shrink; most of the weight lost is water. (Unfortunately, drinking more water won’t change this – although drinking water has powerful health benefits.) That brain shrinkage usually leads to worsened cognitive abilities, which is partly why the older we get, the more our memories fail. Hypertension actually speeds up normal brain shrinkage, increasing the rate of cognitive decline. Fortunately, everything that’s recommended above will also work to reduce hypertension: a healthy diet, exercise, reducing stress, getting adequate rest and so on. For some people, medication is also necessary to help reduce their blood pressure. If you have questions about medication, talk to your primary care physician.

For more health information and useful tools, please visit our Resources Blog on TotalHomeCareSupplies.com. For brand-name incontinence, ostomy, urological or wound supplies, visit our Total Home Care Supplies web store.

Care More. Spend Less. Save Now.

Walking Tips & Tidbits: How to Warm Up, Stretch and Cool Down

Posted by Brooke Phillips on April 19, 2013 under Resources | Be the First to Comment

Image courtesy of the American Council on Exercise

Are you walking your way to better health? Just like with any exercise program, warming up and cooling down with gentle stretches is important. You can prevent injury, improve circulation and range of motion, and speed the healing of sore muscles simply by gently stretching the muscles you use for walking. Here are some key warm ups, cool downs and stretching exercises recommended by the American Council on Exercise and the American Heart Association:

Warm Up

Begin with low-intensity aerobic activity that warms up the muscles you will be using during your workout. If you’re a walker, this simply means you should walk at an easy pace for the first few minutes of your walk. Once your muscles start to feel warm and loose, gradually increase your pace. The duration of your warm-up should depend on the intensity of your walk and your fitness level.

Stretching

Flexibility exercises may be included after your warm-up, or, even better, at the end of your walk. Stretching muscles after warming them up with low-intensity aerobic activity will produce a better stretch since the rise in muscle temperature and circulation increases muscle elasticity, making them more pliable. Be sure to choose flexibility exercises that stretch the primary muscles you will be using during your workout. Great stretches for walking include: hamstrings, Achilles tendons and calves, hip flexors, abductors, as well as upper body stretches such as opening the chest and stretching the low back. (Never stretch until the point of pain! Gently stretch until you feel resistance, and hold the stretch there.)

Stretches for Walking:

Hamstring Stretch: Prop one foot up on a low secure bench or stair step. Stand tall. Keeping your chest high, hips square and tailbone lifted, bend forward from your hips. Feel a stretch in the back of your thigh or knee. Hold 20–30 seconds on each leg.
Calf Stretch: Stand facing a wall with both hands on it. Position one foot forward (knee bent) and the other leg back with the leg straight, toes pointing at the wall. With your stomach tight, lean in toward the wall until you feel a stretch in the lower part of the back leg. Hold 20–30 seconds on each leg.
Shoulder Rolls: Lift your shoulders up toward your ears, then down and backwards in a circular motion. Repeat 5–10 times. Perform with both shoulders simultaneously or alternate right and left.
Hip Flexor Stretch: Lunge forward with one leg, knee bent. The back leg can stay straight or bend slightly. Push your hips forward until you feel a stretch in front of your back thigh near the groin. Keep your torso upright and your front knee behind your toes. Hold 20–30 seconds on each leg.
Abductor (inner thigh) stretch: Keeping your torso upright, lunge to one side with a bent knee over the toe. Keep your other leg straight. Push your weight to the “bent knee” side until you feel a stretch in the inner thigh of your straight leg. Hold 20–30 seconds on each leg.
Chest stretch: Place your fingertips lightly on the back of your head. Push your elbows back while squeezing with your upper back until you feel a stretch in your chest near your underarms. Hold for 20-30 seconds. Another option is to stand in a corner with one hand or elbow on each wall. Your feet should be 1½–2 feet away from the corner in a split stance. Keeping your back straight and tummy pulled in, lean into the wall until you feel a stretch in your chest near your underarms. Hold for 20–30 seconds.

Cool Down

The purpose of a cool-down is to lower the heart rate and metabolism slowly, which helps to avoid blood pooling, cramping or stiffness after a workout. By cooling down, you ensure circulation is maintained to vital organs so you’re less likely to become lightheaded or dizzy. The heart is also protected by cooling down because it reduces high concentrations of hormones, like adrenaline. A great way to cool down after walking is to go at a slower pace and to stretch the muscles that you just worked.

Care More. Spend Less. Save Now.

Walk Your Way To Better Health! The Six-Week Challenge

Posted by Brooke Phillips on April 3, 2013 under Resources | 2 Comments to Read

April 3rd is National Walking Day with the American Heart Association, and we’re asking you to join us on a Six-Week Challenge! Walking daily improves cholesterol, boosts bone strength, lowers blood pressure, prevents weight gain and increases energy and stamina. It also reduces glaucoma risk, halves your odds of catching a cold, and even reduces your risk for Alzheimer’s and colon cancer, among other benefits. Join millions of men and women across America, and pledge to live a healthier lifestyle, get heart-healthy and fit!

Every Wednesday on the Total Home Care Supplies Blog, we’ll be giving tips on how to walk your way to better health, as well as posting weekly “Healthy Living” articles. Are you a beginner? No problem! This Six-Week Beginner Walking Plan was developed by American Council on Exercise and the American Heart Association, and is suitable for every fitness level. With just 30 minutes of walking a day, five days a week – that’s just 2 1/2 hours per week – the health benefits of walking are proven and measurable. So get out your sneakers, and walk your way to better health in six weeks!

Six Week Beginner Walking Plan developed by American Council on Exercise, in collaboration with the American Heart Association

Care More. Spend Less. Save Now at TotalHomeCareSupplies.com.