Maintaining or increasing your strength, endurance, balance, and flexibility
are the key factors to staying fit. Walking builds your strength and
endurance, which contributes to better balance. You can improve your
flexibility with stretching exercises designed specifically for older
adults.1 By striving
to increase all four factors, you lower your risk of injury and slow
the aging process in your joints and muscles.
For some, walking 30
minutes a day may be difficult. If so, experts suggest walking 10
minutes at a time, three times a day. As your health improves, you
can combine two of the three smaller walks into a 20-minute walk,
and then advance to a single 30-minute walk. As your daily walk becomes
easier, try to include new challenges, such as climbing a hill, extending
the time you walk, increasing your walking pace, or adding an additional
day of walking.
1 Those already diagnosed with osteoporosis
should see their physician before attempting any stretching
exercises. Some stretches that are good for others may not be
good for you.