
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!
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.
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