If you read anything about keeping healthy as you age they all say exercise and walk. Somebody I know through SW, the slimming group, walks everywhere and she is only a year or two younger than me. She was told by a health adviser.... while you can, walk! So she does. There are several members who tell of doing 10,000 steps each day.. what??? Don't they go to bed? But it seems they wear their watches, step counters, all the time and only take it off to shower. I don't even remember to put mine on!
I do acknowledge I need to walk more, but I am paranoid about tripping up so I avoid some paved areas and do as a physiotherapist told me... pick your feet up higher than you think. I sometimes think.. do the moon walk... as I walk along. The main street here in town is pedestrianised, but a lot of the block paving making up the road is broken or dips dangerously, where heavy delivery lorries have driven along, so I am very cautious walking there.
The best places to walk are Shopping Malls, but there aren't any near us. But yesterday I found the perfect place to walk. The new B&M, its instead of Homebase. It is huge, with shelving sited, so you have to snake around and go down and up different aisles. We went for a new lavatory brush, they didn't have the one I wanted, but I did 25 minutes of walking, albeit slowly. We didn't come away empty handed, and bought a new kitchen compost bin and some teeth interdental brushes. I think this is going to be a weekly place to walk.
We'll still walk along the promenade where there aren't pavers, but not near Booths or Mama Frans, they sell ice cream so I daren't go near them for the obvious reason, too tempting!
Chrisxx
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I enjoy walking, but have found recently that it has become a much more dangerous occupation. I don't know if it is just where we live, but the local teenagers seem to be heavily into electric bikes and electric scooters - they zoom around silently on the footpaths and are totally indifferent to the dangers that they are to even able-bodied walkers. And I thought that e-scooters were illegal??
"mall walking" is a known thing in the states, and many people join MW groups in an effort to do regular exercise (likeParkRun, but slower and indoors)
We stay away from the dairy bar areas here too. Temptation is too great otherwise.
It's all about finding the perfect place, isn't it!
There's an activity in the US called Mall Walking - groups of elderly friends can spend half an hour walking together in their local mall - where they can also take advantage of the air conditioning - before a relaxing coffee together.
I have a foot issue and use a cane, but we walk almost daily. It’s not a long walk, but we do make the effort. There are no malls in my town either. I often mention our walks in my posts.
Sounds quite exotic, mall walking! Pleased you found a dry place to walk, walking and shopping is a great combination. I sadly for many years now lost the ability to walk anywhere, my knees are just not up to it. I do 'walk' plenty with my power wheelchair, I love being out doors. My go to place when the weather is dull or raining is Cardiff IKEA!
I think on average it takes around 2 hours to walk 10,000 steps, I rarely manage that many, it's a lot of walking and with my recent hip and knee pain I'm lucky to manage 6000 a few times a week. Anyway 10,00 was a nice round number thought up by those smart watch makers and like trying to drink 2ltrs of bottled water a day everyone has now jumped on the bandwagon. Just because the people selling these things tell us that's what we should do does not mean it's the correct information for all. You do what you can manage, the point is you are doing something.
Walking is the most natural of activities; it’s free, available to do all year round and can be incorporated into our everyday lives both at home at work and even out shopping!
However, we must always take care especially the older we get when balance and falls can become an issue.
Any movement is good and any motion is lotion to our bodies :)
All the best Jan
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