Every step counts! Walks are healthy. Walking is effective,
even in small spurts.
Walking as exercise is a growing trend in
Severna Park and everywhere else. Walking is free and simple. It’s a physical activity that
most everyone can do. Unfortunately only about 48% of
adults get enough aerobic (activity that gets the heart pumping
harder and blood vessels healthier) physical activity (1), so Back And Neck Care Center
recommends walking to all of our Severna Park chiropractic patients especially
as they recover from a back pain episode.
PHYSICAL ACTIVITY GUIDELINES
Physical Activity Guidelines recommend only
2 and a half hours a week. (2)
That’s manageable! That can be done in smaller chunks like five 30-minute walks or longer
walks with others instead of coffee chats or dinners out. A walk
while waiting to pick up kids at activities will do it. 145
million adults walk as part of their physical activity plan. Others like some
in Severna Park walk for fun or transportation or exercise. 6 out of
10 walk for their aerobic physical activity. Others enjoy ballroom
dancing or gardening. (1) Brisk walking, running, jogging, swimming or biking
are potential activities when walking becomes a bit too comfortable,
but walking itself works|is]19] just fine!
WALKERS KEEP WALKING
The Journal of the American Medical Association published
information about 1635 inactive adults from 70 to 89 years who were at risk of not
being as mobile as they like (ie, their ability to
walk without support). They were split into two
groups: walking (20-minutes-a-day walk) or education (reading material about
healthy aging). The walking group experienced an 18% lower risk of
major mobility disability at 2.6 years. The walkers could walk without support
up to a quarter mile. (3) This is positive news!
A NEW WALKING PROGRAM: Motivators & Effects
What motivates you to exercise?
Back And Neck Care Center is here to inspire you! A new report about outcomes
of a 6-month program of walking described what low back
pain participants said were motivators that prompted
them to start the walking program (back pain reduction
and better overall healthy lifestyle), to adhere to the program
(walking was perceived as a safe exercise as opposed to high-impact
exercise that they would avoid out of fear of hurting
themselves), and to complete the program (accountability, enjoyment
of the exercise and health benefits). (4) A newly designed
study expects to define just how effective a walking
and education program {{might be able to prevent low back pain recurrence as well as for cost. They are
naming it WalkBack. (5) Such a suitable name!
Effectiveness and cost-savings might also be motivators to stay
with a walking program.
CONTACT Back And Neck Care Center
So if you are looking to add some physical
activity to your life or you are trying to re-gain your
physically active life after an injury, illness or episode of back
pain, just walk (after you check with your Severna Park chiropractor
first!). It will do you good! Listen to this PODCAST
with Dr. Amanda Harris on The
Back Doctors Podcast with Dr. Michael Johnson as she describes
treatment with the Cox® Technic System of Spinal Pain Management that permitted
a patient to walk again without a cane.
Schedule an appointment with Back And Neck Care Center today for personalized
advice about incorporating walking into your chiropractic
care plan.