Walking Tips for Seniors - Part 2

Walking for daily exercise is low-impact, safe and free.

It can also improve cardiovascular fitness and strengthen muscles and bones. Speak to your health care provider before starting a walking program, especially if you have an existing chronic medical condition or have been inactive for a long period of time. Other safety tips:

• Choose a familiar route that’s flat and free of obstacles.
• Consider the surface you’ll be walking on. A smooth, soft surface that’s free of debris will put less strain on your joints and feet.
• Wear supportive footwear, such as low-heeled footwear with non-skid soles.
• Avoid rushing to reduce your risk of falling. Take your time.
• If using a walking aid (e.g. cane or walker) be sure it’s fitted for your height.
• Be extra careful in cold weather — sidewalks and paths can be slippery.
• Cold weather can cause numbness and make it difficult for you to feel any pain or an injury. When it’s cold outside, consider walking in an indoor place, like a mall or community fitness centre.
• Walk with friends or a walking club.
• Carry a cell phone in case of emergencies.
• Dress appropriately for the weather and drink plenty of water.
• Stop or take a break if you feel any pain during your walk. Consult a health care provider if pain continues after your walk.

Source: http://blog.alternativesforseniors.com

Walking Tips for Seniors - Part 1

Walking: Get Moving and Stay Safe

Walking is great exercise for seniors. Brisk walking is like other endurance exercises, it can increase your heart rate and breathing. Endurance exercises keep you healthy, improve your fitness, and help you do the tasks you need to do every day.

For some, walking for the recommended 30 minutes a day might be difficult.
If so, try walking for 10 minutes at a time and build up to three times a day. As your endurance improves, walk longer until you can 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 of walking. Step counters can help you keep track of your walking, set goals, and measure your progress.

Most inactive people get fewer than 5,000 steps a day, and some very inactive people get only 2,000 steps a day. Try wearing a step counter for a few days to see how you’re doing.

If you get:

• Fewer than 5,000 steps a day, gradually add
  3,000 to 4,000 more steps a day.
• About 8,000 steps a day, you’re probably meeting the
  recommended activity target.
• 10,000 or more steps a day, you can be confident that
  you’re getting an adequate amount of endurance activity.
• 10,000 steps a day comfortably, try for 15,000 steps a day,
  which would put you in the high activity group.

Source: http://blog.alternativesforseniors.com

Ten tips for healthy senior living

Here are ten quick tips seniors can incorporate into their daily lives today!

1. Eat well – For all ages eating healthy is important to good health, but with seniors this is even more important. Seniors need to eat right, because as the body grows older it becomes more important to eat right.

2. Exercising - One of the more important tips to stay healthy for seniors is basic but true, be active and exercise. Health is important to prolonging the life of humans, and exercising is one of the main ways to maintain health. Plus it’s fun, social, and makes you feel good.

3. Be social - Aside from physical health, mental health also plays an important role in staying completely healthy. So if you are a senior, go out with some friends and socialize! Without socializing, people can get lonely and mental problems will ensue. So in order to stay healthy, seniors should make a point to talk with other people.

4. Vaccines - Seniors are more at risk to getting diseases. This is why vaccines are so important for older people to get when they come out. Sicknesses can be much more hurtful toward seniors than any other age group and getting a sickness is both pretty frustrating and can have serious consequences in the long run.

5. Driving - Make sure that you can still drive. Even though you have been able to drive your entire life and probably think that you are just fine, take a second to analyze how you are driving. If you aren’t the best driver anymore then maybe its time to hang up the driving gloves for good. Accidents can ruin the rest of your life so it is just safer to stay away.

6. Get that vision checked - This goes hand in hand with driving. You should be getting your eyes checked at least every year now. This is the time of your life where your eyes start to go downhill and if you cannot see while driving or just doing your daily routines then it is time to take a test on getting your eyes checked.

7. Sexuality - However sexual you are in your life, you should make the most of it. Having sexual relationships and intimate relationships has been proven to reduce stress and that just might be exactly what you need to keep yourself going throughout the day!

8. Pets - Companionship is very important in your later years. A lot of older people lose their true companions, or their spouse, to death so a quick and easy way to find a new companion is through a pet. It is important for people to be social in their lives and if that means getting a pet is the answer then so be it.

9. Go To Doctor - As you age, you should be heading to the doctor’s office more than others. The last thing you want to have to deal with is becoming deathly sick or having a real problem with your body. In order to avoid this becoming a huge problem, just go to the doctor every so often so nothing gets out of control.

10. Make Some Friends - Friendship is also very important for seniors to have. Just like how pets can cure social problems, friends can do the same thing too. Even though you might need to go a little out of your way to find them, the value in having friends is something that you cannot put a price on. It will make the rest of your life much easier to live through.

Source: http://www.medicalalertsystemsratings.com