Walking

"It's not that very old people can exercise because they are healthy; rather, they achieve a healthy old age because they exercise." Jane Brody, New York Times Health Writer

As readers of this blog know, I am a strong advocate of exercise.  It is easy to make excuses to not exercise, or to go to the opposite extreme and pay large sums to exercise -- only to find one does not.  That is one reason I am an advocate for walking.  It does not take any special or expensive equipment or facility, just a very good pair of walking shoes, and it can be done any where.  And don't underestimate the value of walking.  According to Jane Fonda, a 60 year old woman weighing 145 pounds burns 285 calories running 30 minutes at 5 mph.  If you walk 30 minutes at 4 mph you burn 165 calories on a level surface, 225 calories on a slight incline and 360 calories on a 10% incline!  So, it is a good weight management tool, but I do it even more for the stress-management tool that it is.  Make it a goal to walk 6000-10,000 steps a day for this next week.  I believe it is one of the ways to be a caregiver and stay healthy.