Hey everyone, welcome back to the Senior Safety
Advice Podcast. March, this is March 8th and
March is Mobility and Independence Month. I'm
so glad that you're here with me today. I'm Esther
Kane, retired occupational therapist and a certified
aging in place specialist. And today we're gonna
talk about the benefits of short daily walks
because it is Mobility and Independence Month.
And I wanna start off by clearing up something
right away. Many people think that, oh, when
you're talking about walking and the benefits
of walking and exercising and walking, those
are all great, but they discount short daily
walks. So I want to say that it's not necessarily
needed or don't feel guilty that you aren't taking
a long walk. I think it's just as important to
take daily walks and even better to take a short
walk Excuse me, several times a day. I like the
idea of walking 10, 15 minutes after every meal.
So that would be three times a day. And all you
need is just a short little walk. And it's not
even about the pace. And it's not certainly not
about hitting a certain number of steps. This
is about short walks, gentle walks, consistent
walks, because a little bit of walking done most
days can change how your whole body feels. What
I hear all the time are phrases like, I know
I should walk more, but I don't have the energy
or I'm afraid I'm going to lose my balance. Or
it doesn't seem worth it if I can't go that far.
And you may think that while you're sitting watching
TV that, oh, a 10 minute walk isn't going to
do anything, but it actually can. I began taking
little short walks after my meals about a month
or so ago, and it really does. It really has
helped me not only with my energy level, but
my flexibility and my mobility as well. So here's
what I want you to know. Short walks absolutely
count. I've seen people improve strength, balance,
mood, and confidence just by walking a few minutes
a day. Heck, I've seen it in myself. And here's
where this really, really matters. Walking is
just one of the most natural movements that your
body knows how to do. It wakes up your muscles,
it wakes up your brain, and it keeps everything
communicating better. And if you're worried about
losing your balance, then... get some walking
sticks. My sister recently fell during a walk.
She does these multiple mile hikes several times
a week and she fell. It just took one second
for her to fall and she fractured her wrist.
So her friends on her walking club bought her
some walking sticks. So yes, now she uses the
walking sticks for her walk, but she is getting
still getting out there and doing it. So the
reason that she does a lot of the walking, and
actually several of my friends who do a lot of
walking, they tell me that their hips don't feel
as stiff. their steps are more relaxed and that
they feel better with their balance because they're
exercising they're building their muscles they're
building their bones as they're walking and actually
you know what if you're looking to build your
bones you can always if possible wear a weighted
vest that's something that can certainly help
you you can get them on amazon or any sports
store and you can control the amount of weight
that is on or in that vest and having that extra
weight can help to increase the density of your
bones because weight lifting or resistance exercises
are very good for increasing the density of your
bones. So you can do two things while you're
walking. So yes, a short walk is very, very powerful.
Even a walk to the mailbox, even a 10 -minute
walk around your living room, your dining room,
even getting up and walking a little bit at every
commercial break, anything at all, down the driveway,
around the block, those minutes all add up, especially
if you can do it multiple times throughout the
day. Walking helps circulation in a way that
very few other activities do. You know, blood
flows better to the legs and the feet, swelling
can actually improve, muscles get oxygen, and
you can just feel a little lighter each day.
Each time that you do take a walk the one thing
that I would recommend is to make sure Well number
one make sure that you get approval from your
physician You know if there are any issues that
you need to watch out for in case you have cardiac
issues or Neurological issues, you know, make
sure your physician knows if you have a physical
therapist obviously speak with them and make
sure that you are wearing the best possible walking
shoes for you because I know that for myself
when I don't wear the proper shoes I end up with
a little extra pain in my foot or maybe even
a little swelling in my ankle simply because
I didn't have the support that I needed during
my walk and yeah that can change depending on
the length of the walk as well but I would definitely
recommend that. So let's talk about balance again,
because I think this is a big one. A lot of older
adults do not take walks because they're afraid
of their balance. Walking does challenge balance,
and it can also help to improve balance. So it's
kind of a... Yeah, it's a mixed bag. So you are
shifting your weight from one foot to the other.
You're coordinating your arms and your legs.
So all of that can help you to improve your balance.
And again, if you do feel unsafe, then use walking
sticks. And I'm not talking about just a cane.
I'm talking about two walking sticks, one in
each arm. When walking becomes part of your routine,
your balance often improves. without you even
thinking about it. And that's something that
a lot of seniors and a lot of families don't
always realize. Short walks can also help to
improve joint stiffness, especially in the hips,
the knees and the ankles. You know, I've treated
a lot of patients. that had arthritis that always
felt better after they did some form of exercise
for the part of their body that had the arthritis,
be it the knee or the ankle or the shoulders,
the wrist, the hands, whatever. And movement
definitely, as we all know or should know, is
that movement helps joints lubricate themselves.
Sitting, Does the opposite actually so that's
why they're saying that sitting for long periods
of time is not a great idea you should get up
and take a little walk every twenty thirty minutes
or so if you're doing a lot of setting so when
someone says that they don't walk because they're
stiff. I often suggest that stiffness might actually
improve with a little bit of walking. I know
it does for me. Obviously, I'm on the computer
a lot. I do my podcasting and YouTubing, and
I do a lot of work on aginginplacedirectory .com
and seniorsafetyadvice .com. So yeah, I'm sitting
at my computer, but I do my best to take every
20, 30 minutes, get up and take a little walk
just to remove that stiffness because I am stiff
when I get up, for sure. Now, let's talk about
posture and breathing. Walking encourages you
to stand taller. Your chest opens up, your breathing
deepens, and better breathing, of course, means
more oxygen to the brain, which affects your
focus and your mood and your steadiness. And
that's a quiet benefit that people don't always
connect. And here's something that I see a lot.
Short daily walks can actually improve your confidence.
I know, it's like you don't even think about
that, right? When you walk regularly, your body
starts to remember what it can do. Fear softens,
your trust grows, and you can go from avoiding
movement to looking forward to movement. meaning
the walk. And walking doesn't have to be outside,
as I said before. You know, you can walk up and
down your hallway, you can walk in the mall,
you can go to indoor track in a local park. Even
walking during TV commercials counts. Walking
around the dining room, anything at all. I know
on wintery cold days, or if the weather's not
good, It makes sense to be able to do a little
walk in your home. And hey, if you have a treadmill,
that may be something you can use as well, as
long as you're safe on that treadmill. This is
about movement. It's not necessarily about scenery.
So it's not as if when you do a walk, you think
about, you know, going to the beach or going
to a forest or taking a beautiful hike. I mean,
sure, if you can do those things, but you can't
always do them daily. So why not, you know, just
consider focusing on the movement and then when
you can, of course, include the scenery. So let's
talk about safety because that's what I'm all
about, right? So you want to always wear the
best supportive shoes that you can. You want
to take your time. There's no need to rush or
keep up with the fastest person in your group.
And you want to use a cane or a walker or walking
sticks, you know, whatever it is that you need.
to help you. I personally like the idea of walking
sticks the most but of course if you need the
walker you know certainly but I like the walking
sticks better than just a single cane. And then
if you need to hold on to a railing then absolutely
walk somewhere where you can hold on to a railing.
Support is smart. It doesn't mean you're weak.
It's smart because the worst thing that can happen
during a walk is that you fall because if you
fall, then that destroys your confidence to keep
walking. And guess what? You stop walking. And
that's not what it's all about. It's about doing
what you can in short, limited times so that
you can build it up. Short walks mean you don't
push past your limits. And that's usually how
any form of exercise becomes sustainable. Because
if you do too much and you injure yourself, then
guess what? You stop doing it. So if you're a
family caregiver, This is something that you
can even do together, side by side, no pressure,
just take those little short walks. They can
become moments of connection, a chance to talk,
a chance to breathe. And honestly, those moments
matter just as much as the movement. One more
thing I want to say out loud. Consistency also
matters more than distance. Five minutes every
day beats 30 minutes once in a while. Your body
responds to regular signals, routine. Routine
is very important. And walking sends a really,
really good one. It says, hey, I'm moving, I'm
capable, I'm still engaged. And that message
carries far beyond the walk itself. So if walking
feels hard right now, then start smaller than
you think you should. You may think, I need to
do 30 minutes every day. And you may say that
to yourself every night. And then the next day,
of course, you never get to it. But just think
five minutes, five minutes after every meal.
three times a day, and then maybe increase that
to 10 minutes. And then before you know it, you've
got 15 minutes, and that's pretty much all you
need. Three times a day, that's a 45 -minute
walk every single day. A little bit today, a
little bit more tomorrow, and that's how you
can increase your balance, your strength, and
your mobility. Before you know it, it becomes
a part of who you are. Well, that's all that
I have for you today. I want to thank you so
much again for being here with me. If today's
episode gave you some useful insights or some
new ideas, then please share it with someone
who you think might find it helpful as well.
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