Physical therapy treatment is just one part of living an active, healthy life. Many of our physical therapists in Augusta encourage clients to go beyond PT sessions and add some physical activity into their daily routine. Physical activity will aid your efforts in PT and heighten its effects.
However, many people may feel intimidated by trying to perform high-intensity workouts, and some people just can’t do traditional fitness routines! Think of pregnant women, senior citizens, and people who suffer from bone and joint disorders. However, walking is an excellent alternative that most people can do easily.
Why Walking is a Valid Workout
People tend to think of walking as a lightweight exercise and a mode of activity that doesn’t have any real results. However, research shows that walking actually functions just as well as intense workouts in lowering body pain levels and achieving a better quality of life. Walking helps build stamina and bone health — all of which physical therapy targets as well.
Walking also poses plenty of benefits for blood sugar levels and cardiac health, so if you’re enrolled in a program for active living for seniors, a walking routine is something you need to have.
While you can’t really build muscle or strength with walking, a considerable number of people who engage in PT to improve their flexibility and mobility can reap the rewards of walking.
How to Start Walking
The first thing to do is bring this up with your therapist. It’s possible they’ve already mentioned walking, and you’re finally getting into it now — don’t feel weird about initiating a conversation about starting it. Your physical therapist will help assess your current endurance abilities to get you started on a walking routine.
You don’t necessarily need to walk 10,000 steps a day for it to be effective. Based on any disabilities, you might have your ideal daily steps can be half of that. You should also be mindful of where you’re walking. Uphill and downhill walks, for example, are different when it comes to how much strength each takes.
Your physical therapist can help you figure out a walking route as well as explain what signs of soreness, injury, and exhaustion you should watch out for. This will help you get into a routine while you’re in a PT program so that you can continue to stay active later.
At Healing Hands Physical Therapy, we invest ourselves into your wellbeing and quality of life outside of our sessions too! That’s why our physical therapy services for women and sports injury rehab programs go the extra mile to help you get better.
Contact us to schedule a visit today.