We’re always told to exercise more. The idea is powerful for physical health and even mental health. But, achieving it in practice is often more difficult.
For caregivers, the biggest problem is often time. It’s tough to find the time (and energy) you need to exercise, especially when life tends to be hectic. If you’re a full-time caregiver, you might also worry about leaving your family member on their own.
For seniors, there are often physical challenges. Some types of exercise may be difficult, if not physically impossible. Some seniors may also be resistant to the idea.
There are many different ways to improve exercise – but recent research has suggested a simple one, walking.
Short Walks for Health
Walking is good for you, we all know that.
But, a recent study showed that the health benefits are strongly associated with the amount of walking you do, not the specific pattern of walking.
The study in question looked at longevity data and physical activity. The authors found a strong association between moving and longevity. Those who exercised moderately for more than an hour per day dramatically reduced their risk of death.
This effect was the same for people who did that whole hour at once – and those who did it in 5-minute bursts.
The outcomes suggest that even short walks can have significant implications, as long as you’re doing them regularly.
This is powerful news for caregivers. It’s relatively easy to find tiny spaces of time that you can exercise in – and that appears to be perfectly fine for health.
In some ways, small spaces of time may even be better. It’s much easier to convince yourself to get moving for 5 minutes at a time, than to do an hour long walk or half hour gym session.
Where to Next?
Walking is great first step (pun intended) but more exercise is often better. Thankfully, there are many approaches that you can take for yourself and anyone else in your life.
We’ve covered key examples previously, including in the posts below. Check them out for more details about ways to become more active.
- Have Painful Knees, But Still Love to Exercise?
- Low Cost Ways for Caregivers and Seniors to Exercise at Home
- How to Safely Exercise at Any Age
- Seated Exercises for Seniors: What to Look For
- Benefits of Chair Yoga for Seniors
There are also various programs that can help you create an easy-to-follow exercise routine, starting at eight minutes a day. The DVDs Rock the Walk and The Little Black Dress are both great places to begin, as these focus on short routines that are suitable for seniors.
There are also many tools and techniques that you can turn to. These can often make exercise easier and safer for seniors, especially if they have limited mobility. Others can help improve daily living, making tasks less challenging and more enjoyable.
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