Every step counts! Walks are healthy. Walking is effective,
even in small spurts.
Walking as exercise is a growing trend in
San Jose and everywhere else. Walking is free and easy. Walking is a physical activity that
most everyone can do. Sadly only about 48% of
adults get enough aerobic (activity that gets the heart pumping
harder and blood vessels healthier) physical activity (1), so Chiropractic Solutions
recommends walking to all of our San Jose 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 broken
down into 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 San Jose 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 routine,
but walking itself works|is]19] just as well!
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 assistance). 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 great news!
A NEW WALKING PROGRAM: Motivators & Effects
What motivates you to exercise?
Chiropractic Solutions is here to coach you! A new report about outcomes
of a 6-month program of walking listed what low back
pain participants reported as motivators that got
them to begin the walking program (back pain reduction
and better overall healthy lifestyle), to adhere to the program
(walking was seen as a safe exercise as opposed to high-impact
exercise that they would avoid out of fear of making their pain worse), and to complete the program (accountability, pleasure
of the exercise and health benefits). (4) A recently planned
study anticipates defining just how effective a walking
and education program {{might be able to prevent low back pain recurrence as well as for cost. They’re
naming it WalkBack. (5) Such a fitting name!
Effectiveness and cost-savings can also be motivators to stay
with a walking program.
CONTACT Chiropractic Solutions
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 San Jose chiropractor
first!). It may well be just what you
are looking for! 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 allowed
a patient to walk again without a cane.
Schedule an appointment with Chiropractic Solutions today for individualized
advice about incorporating walking into your chiropractic
care plan.