| One form of exercise that almost anyone with | | | | Pretty simple. The first thing is to make sure you |
| arthritis can do is walking. What's nice about it is | | | | have a good pair of walking shoes. If you have a |
| that you can do it alone or with a friend. It's | | | | history of flat feet, you should use orthotics. |
| pretty easy to do, and requires no special | | | | Do not try to do too much at the very beginning. |
| equipment other than comfortable shoes. It also | | | | You should gradually increase the amount you |
| costs nothing and can be done just about | | | | walk. A good target is 10,000 steps per day, |
| anywhere. | | | | which is roughly 5 miles. If that seems like a lot, |
| Walking has multiple benefits. Since it burns | | | | remember, most people already walk about 3,000 |
| calories, it helps with weight control. It actually | | | | to 5,000 steps a day during the course of a |
| helps the knees since the action of walking | | | | routine day. |
| stimulates cartilage growth and the flow of | | | | Your goal time wise should be about half an hour |
| synovial fluid within the knee. It also strengthens | | | | a day. Obviously, you should start more slowly... |
| the muscles that protect the knee. | | | | maybe 5 minutes a day to start. |
| Because it is weight-bearing it also helps | | | | How fast you walk will depend on you. Start |
| strengthen the muscles that protect the hips. At | | | | slowly. A moderate pace you can work up to is |
| the same time it strengthens bones therefore | | | | about 2-3 miles an hour. A good rule of thumb is |
| reducing the likelihood of fracture due to | | | | that you should be breathing faster and feel your |
| osteoporosis. By strengthening the core muscles | | | | heart rate going up but still be able to carry on a |
| of the spine and abdomen, walking helps reduce | | | | conversation. |
| the chance for getting low back pain. | | | | How often should you walk? If you're doing other |
| The increased effort required for walking helps | | | | types of exercise regularly you don't have to |
| the heart to pump more strongly. This helps | | | | walk every day. However, if walking is your |
| reduce blood pressure with the subsequent risk | | | | major form of exercise, you should do it daily. |
| for stroke and heart attack. | | | | Remember, it's important to keep up your routine. |
| Increasing respiratory rate (breathing rate) | | | | If the weather is bad, you can either use a |
| promotes increased flow of oxygen to the rest | | | | treadmill, try to tough it out outside (although you |
| of the body and also helps eliminate the buildup of | | | | must be careful), or go to a local mall. |
| carbon dioxide. A major plus is improved energy. | | | | Should walking be the only types of exercise you |
| There is some evidence that exercise such as | | | | do? The answer is no. It's important to |
| walking increases endorphin production which helps | | | | incorporate light weight-training and stretching into |
| relieve pain, reduces serum cortisol levels which | | | | all your exercise programs. Walking is a good |
| helps relieve stress, and may also decrease the | | | | complement to other types of aerobic exercise |
| risk of developing Alzheimer's disease. | | | | such as biking, swimming, ballroom dancing, etc. |
| So how do you start a good walking program? | | | | However, walking is a good start. |