Federal guidelines that call for at least 150 minutes of moderate to heavy exercise can help prevent severe COVID-19 infection or death, according to a study that came out in mid-April. This is on top of all of the other usual benefits of exercise, which are plentiful.
But if intense cardio exercises like running, biking, or swimming may be too intense for you or the person you are caring for, we have good news—you can get all of the exercise benefits your body needs from walking.
Centers Choice Home Care has a look at four ways you can up your walking game to lose weight, stay active longer, and just be generally healthier.
- Start Slow
Walking for fitness is different than the walking you do in your daily life. The goal when you’re walking for exercise is to elevate your heart rate, but not right away. Exercise experts say that you can walk at a steady pace for anywhere from five to 20 minutes five days per week. If you can only do five or 10 minutes, try to do that two or three times per day.
- Ramp Up to a Brisk Walk
You can only improve your fitness by working harder each time you go out, making sure you’re getting your heart rate up. Achieve this by going for a brisk walk, which is defined as walking at about 3 miles per hour. Experts say there’s a way you can tell if you’re walking briskly, and that’s if you can still talk but cannot get enough air to sing the words to a song.
- Get Specific
Once you’re accustomed to walking at a brisk pace, then experts suggest customizing your workout based on your specific fitness goals. This can include increasing the intensity or trying interval training. More information about that here.
To learn more about Centers Choice Home Care and all the services they offer, visit CentersChoice.com.
