June 10, 2020

This Wellness Wednesday is all about WALKING!
Stretches are a valuable way to warm up before walking and to maintain flexibility for other daily activities. If you’re working from home or seated for hours on end, stretches can help you stay limber and keep blood circulating. Start the day with some basic stretches or plan breaks to stand up and stretch it out.

Walking is one of the simplest forms of exercise that something that ALMOST everyone can do. Having a sturdy, comfortable pair of shoes is very important. Stretching beforehand also helps to reduce the chance of injury or strains. Some key lower body stretches include a seated crossed knee stretch, split lunge stretch, and knee balance stretch.

To keep things interesting, walk in all directions to target a variety of muscle groups. Walking backwards focuses on hamstrings. Sideways focuses on outer thighs and glutes. Just be careful and stay aware of obstacles that might be in the direction you’re walking. It’s especially important if you’re walking backwards since you don’t have eyes in the back of your head!

Current recommendations for optimal amounts of exercise are 150 minutes per week (30 minutes daily). If you feel like you don’t have a large amount of time each day, start small and work your way up to a total of 30 minutes. Done in smaller increments throughout the day, still has the health benefits. Plan something as simple as a 10-minute walk before or after every meal. Ten minutes at three different times a day is easier to spare than 30 minutes all at once.

So, dust off your sneakers and think about how you can get yourself or your family walking. Grab the kids, your spouse, your dog, or your neighbor and take the first steps! For every 10,000 steps you accumulate throughout the day, it’s 5 miles. Most smartphones have apps you can download or that are built in which track your number of steps. Use what you have to help make it a little easier to achieve. Your physical and emotional health will thank you!