Doctor shares walking tips for good results for the elderly

Walking the right way will bring better results. Dr. Virginia Weaver, a bariatric surgeon and weight management specialist at Methodist University Hospital in Cordova, Tennessee (USA), shares the best walking tips for people 50 and older, according to the health website Women's Health.

Start slow

Walking, to achieve the best results, must be done correctly, especially for people over 50 years old.

Start easy, build up gradually . Doing too much too soon can cause injury. You need to get used to the basics before increasing the speed.

Starting slow leads to great results. Start by walking regularly but for short periods. Add 2-3 minutes each week. For example, the first week go for 20 minutes, the second week go for 23 minutes. So after a month, you will gradually increase from 20 minutes to 32 minutes of walking, and that is very important. This way of walking helps your joints, ligaments and muscles adapt gradually.

Change the intensity of your walk

When walking daily, there should be some high intensity walking, some light walking, and some intermittent high and low intensity walking.

The most common mistakes are always taking it easy or walking too much. Walking hard every day or walking as easy as a stroll is not good.

It's best to make sure you walk briskly at least 1 - 2 times a week.

Plan each week to include 1 easy walking day, 1 short interval training day with at least 4 30-second repetitions or 1 minute of brisk walking or hill climbing interspersed with recovery, and 1 moderate-intensity day.

Need to combine strength training

Doctors recommend strength exercises such as weight training or squats and push-ups, which help boost metabolism, increase lean muscle and reduce fat.

Walking is a cardiovascular exercise and has little impact on lean muscle mass. People over 50 are more likely to lose muscle than gain it. Therefore, to maintain and gain muscle, strength training is needed. Walking combined with strength training after 50 will help change body composition in the long term by boosting metabolism to burn more calories.

Strength training has a significant impact on metabolism and fat burning, so it’s important to incorporate strength training at least three days a week to build and maintain muscle mass, says Dr. Weaver. Strength training, such as weight training or squats and push-ups, boosts metabolism, increases lean muscle mass, and reduces fat, says Dr. Weaver.

Don't forget to warm up and cool down

People 50 and older, especially those with ankle, knee or hip pain, should take a few minutes to stretch before walking.

Warming up before your daily walk can help you maintain your range of motion as you age.

After walking, also take 5 - 10 minutes to stretch your muscles. You can do stretching exercises for joints and muscles or affect many muscle groups at the same time.

Pay attention to stress

If you're only focused on burning calories, you'll probably walk a lot and fast. But if you're constantly stressed or can't get up in the morning, it's best to take shorter, slower walks. This will help reduce the stress hormone cortisol. Dr. Weaver explains that increased cortisol levels cause the body to store fat instead of burning it, leading to more weight gain, especially around the middle, according to Women's Health.

Source: https://thanhnien.vn/bac-si-chia-se-meo-di-bo-de-dat-ket-qua-tot-cho-nguoi-lon-tuoi-185240908154800928.htm