What Ails You: Tips for walking to better health

For the health of your heart, your bones and, arguably, your mind, you should be getting a minimum of 30 minutes exercise each day. The handiest form of exercise is the daily walk. Today, let’s review some basics about walking for your health.

You know the benefits of walking so I don’t need to preach to you. It improves your overall cardiovascular health, reduces your risk for and helps in the control of Type II diabetes and heart disease. It helps balance those “feel good” hormones which reduce your overall level of stress and help you to feel life is worth living. Walking daily will help you have more energy, improve your muscle tone and control your weight. You get all of that for a daily 30-minute investment in yourself. What a bargain!

Before you begin walking, there are a few special considerations. Do you already have heart disease or diabetes? Do you have numbness in your feet or legs? Do you experience chest pains or breathlessness when you move about? How about dizzy spells? Do you have joint, bone or balance problems that put you at risk for injury if you are walking? Do you take blood pressure medication?  Some blood pressure medications limit your ability to get your heart rate up enough to support physical activity. All these considerations require you to make a visit to your doctor before starting a walking program. 

One of the best things you will do for yourself as you start your walking program is to select a good pair of walking shoes. When you are selecting your shoes, be sure the insole matches the arch of your foot. If you are feeling the crest of the arch too far forward or back, too far out to the side or toward the middle, the shoe will wear on you while you walk and create more problems than it solves. 

When you hold the shoe between your palms and squeeze, you should see the sole bend where the ball of your foot would be. If it bends too far back or clear up toward the toes, you’ll have trouble. The toe box should be wide enough to accommodate your foot and leave your toes wiggle room. Shoes that squeeze and taper will wear blisters into you and torment your delicate foot joints. 

The heel of your shoe should fit snugly and come high enough to hold the shoe in place. If you have weak ankles you may find a higher top makes you feel more stable. If, on the other hand, you have thicker ankles, you’ll find a lower cut shoe considerably more comfortable. While your favorite shoe may or may not be equipped with an air insole that cushions your entire foot, the heel, at least, should be made for shock absorption.

Especially here in our hot desert, you should purchase a shoe made out of breathable materials.  Leather and cotton canvas are far more comfortable than synthetic materials which allow moisture to build up making you vulnerable to blisters and fungus. 

Whatever walking shoe you choose, please don’t scrimp. To get your best exercise you need to be able to open up your stride and walk with confidence. Don’t try to make do with your favorite flip-flops, clogs or sandals. 

As you walk, your heel should strike the ground in front of you and your toe push off in back. Do not watch the ground at your feet. Look ahead. Look around you. Watch the ground about six to eight feet ahead of you so you can see obstacles in your path. Be careful about looking up. Some people get dizzy and it is particularly challenging to keep your balance while looking overhead.   

If your balance is not what it should be, or if you are worried about critters, carry a walking stick with you. The walking stick should move forward with the opposite leg. If the walking stick is in your right hand, bring it forward with your left leg. A walking stick is taller than a cane and allows you stand more upright when you are walking purposefully. 

If you are over 50 or if you have not been active for a very long time, start your walking program by simply going out and walking as far as you can as quickly as you can. For some people this may mean walking less than five minutes at not much more than a stroll. Quit passing judgment on yourself! OK fine, you’re a slug.  Now you know your baseline and you’ll be improving from here. If you can’t walk 30 consecutive minutes, walk less time more frequently. Three 10 minute walks during the day add up to the same 30 minutes. Make a little note on your calendar today of how long and how far you were able to walk. Promise yourself you will walk as many days out of the week as you possibly can. Then in one month, make a note on the calendar again. Go back and compare how much you have improved. 

Walk where it is safe. Some of our schools leave their tracks available to us. You can walk in our deserted mall. There are, surprisingly enough, some areas of Barstow that are not hilly. Maybe your friend’s neighborhood is more pleasant than yours. Find an area that is enjoyable for you to look at, safe and level and off you go. 

For some folks, setting a goal helps keep them motivated. By making yourself walk 30 minutes or more each day most days of the week, you can promise to take yourself on a long anticipated hike or enter a small walk-race to support your favorite charity. Perhaps reward enough will be in being able to enjoy an outing with the family without being the one who constantly has to stop and rest.  You could always let the walk itself, outside, listening to the hum of nature, setting your cares aside for 30 minutes each day be its own reward. Precious time spent each day taking care of the most important person in your world — You.

ABOUT THE WRITER:
Jackie Randa is a physical therapist who owns Back on Track in Barstow. She can be contacted at jranda@aol.com