Five Tips to Make a Daily Walk a Regular Part of Your Senior's Routine

By Andy Niska | September 27, 2018 |

Walking is one of the simplest forms of exercise that your senior can start doing every day. If you haven’t already talked to her doctor about starting a new exercise plan, make sure that you do so before she starts walking for exercise.

Elder Care in Liberty Lake WA: Starting a Daily Walking Routine

Get the Right Tools.

The right tools for walking include shoes that fit and clothes that give your aging adult appropriate coverage and range of motion. If your senior needs assistive devices, like a cane or walker, definitely include that, too. Other than that, your elderly family member really doesn’t need anything spectacular in order to take up walking as a hobby.

Start Slow and Small.

When your senior first starts out walking on a daily basis, she may feel as if she’s winded very quickly. That’s okay. She needs to start out rather slowly at first and with just a few minutes of walking at a time. Gradually as she gets used to walking, she can increase her speed and the time and distance that she’s walking. It’s all about going slowly.

Aim for Consistency.

The most important part of your senior’s new walking routine is to get consistent with it. She might decide to walk at the same time every day. This can help her to build that routine. Getting even a short walk in every day helps her to keep building up her stamina.

Find a Buddy.

It’s a really good idea for your elderly family member to walk with a buddy when she goes out. She may have a friend or neighbor to walk with or you might be her walking buddy. But it’s okay if that’s not possible. Another option is to hire elder care providers to walk with her. You’ll know that she’s with someone experienced and she’ll have a new friend to talk to.

Stick with It.

The bottom line is that the longer your senior sticks with her new walking routine, the better she’ll get. She will gradually have more stamina and she’ll start to sleep better, too. Her doctor can outline the other results that she can expect to see after some more time walking every day.

As your elderly family member gets used to walking every day, she may find that it’s her favorite form of exercise. She doesn’t need special equipment or skills to get a good walk in and every day can be slightly different for her. Make sure that you keep her doctor informed about her activity level and that it’s still okay for her to keep walking.

If you or an aging loved one are considering elder care in Liberty Lake, WA, please contact the friendly staff at Love at Home Senior Care, today. Call (509) 204-4088

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Andy Niska

Owner at Love In Home Senior Care

Andy has over 20+ years experience in the medical community and has a true compassion for seniors. With a degree in Health Care Administration, he developed a background in a variety of health care services that only comes from first hand experience. While working as a manager of a large clinic and as an account executive for medical suppliers. Andy has built valuable relationships with the medical community.

His role in Love In Home Senior Care is to educate people on what care choice is the best fit for the senior and their family while attempting to make this decision as stress-free as possible for everyone involved.

This decision making process should be smooth and stress free for everyone, including all family members and their loved ones. Having access to people with experience (like the team at Love In Home Senior Care) to assist you along the way can help this process. With an extensive background in health care, Andy has the experience needed to guide and direct your loved one to the choice that is the best fit.