What Does Walking Do for Your Senior?
Walking is a deceptively simple form of exercise that works your senior’s entire body as well as her cardiovascular system. She can accomplish a lot with a regular regimen of simple walking and as her caregiver, you may want to have an idea just how much this activity can benefit her.
She Might Be Able to Ditch Habits She Doesn’t Like
Caregiver Rockford, MI: Seniors and Walking
Everybody has habits that they know aren’t great for them, even your senior. So, if she’s eating too many sweets or she’s being more sedentary than she wants to be, walking can be a way for her to compensate for those habits. She might even find that she eventually wants to quit some of those questionable habits in favor of healthier ones.
She Can Better Manage Both Anxiety and Stress
Anxiety and stress are a fact of life for everyone and how those challenges are managed really matters. Exercise is a great way to reduce both stress and anxiety, but your elderly family member might have felt as if that form of therapeutic response was out of her reach. Walking is something that almost anyone can do and your senior gets benefits even if she walks a little slower than the average person who walks regularly.
She May Be Healthier
When your senior is paying more attention to her activity levels, she may also be paying more attention to what she’s eating. Both of those contribute to being healthier overall. Other health issues, like diabetes and high blood pressure, respond well to regular exercise like walking. The longer your senior walks on a regular basis, the more positive health results she’s likely to see. She may also start to crave healthier foods, because her body is more active.
She Can Control Her Weight
One of those positive health results might be that your senior is able to maintain her weight or lose excess weight without much monitoring. The human body tends to want to find a homeostasis and walking can be very helpful with that. Being more active in general can also help with maintaining a more consistent and healthy weight.
Your senior doesn’t need much more than comfortable clothing and supportive shoes to get going with walking, either, which makes it a perfect way for her to start out exercising regularly. Verify with her doctor that it’s safe for her to start walking before she does so that you know she’s within her activity limits.
If you or someone you know needs a Caregiver in Rockford, MI, contact Gauthier Family Home Care. We provide quality and affordable home care services in our community. Call us at (616) 258-2300 for more information.
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