Seniors Can Walk To Better Health

Walking Holds The Key To Greater Independence and Health For Seniors

Jul 27, 2008

If you didn't have a good reason to get up out of your chair, now you do! A recent study, conducted at the University of Georgia, proves it.

Good news! A recent study conducted at the University of Georgia determined that seniors who included walking as a part of their daily regime stood to gain both health and aerobic-capacity benefits. This translates into greater independence and a reduction in disability.

The study, which was conducted by M. Elaine Cress, professor of kinesiology and researcher in the UGA Institute of Gerontology and Trudy Moore-Harrison, a former UGA doctoral student, was comprised of 26 low-income seniors. They were divided into two groups. One group walked 3 times per week for 4 months while the control group received nutrition education only.

“In the past decade, researchers have focused on the benefits of strength training in maintaining independence, but until now we didn’t have good evidence using an objective performance measure that a walking program would improve physical functioning,” said M. Elaine Cress

The walking group began with 10 contiguous minutes of walking and gradually progressed to 40 minutes by the end of the 4-month period. Each session included 10 minutes of warm-up and 10 minutes of cool-down that included stretching, to enhance flexibility and balancing exercises to reduce the risk of falling. Trudy Moore-Harrison decided to use low-income participants because they were more likely to: have fewer finances, be less physically active, have chronic health conditions and lack health care coverage.

The results of the study, which appear in the current issue of the Journal of Geriatric Physical Therapy, indicate a 19 percent increase in their peak aerobic capacity, a 25 percent increase in physical function as measured by a questionnaire and the ability to perform physical activities such as climbing stairs and putting on a jacket. The walking group also decreased their risk of disability by 41 percent when compared to the control group.

Sticking to an exercise program can be challenging but the walkers not only stuck with it for 4 months but also enjoyed the experience, as it gave them the opportunity to affiliate and make new friends. Cress stated aerobic capacity is what we draw upon to do the things we want to do. Increased aerobic capacity allows us to have more energy to perform tasks and have energy leftover for recreational activities.

Since walking doesn’t require any special equipment (a comfortable pair of shoes is all you need) anyone can do it. There are still not enough people engaging in this low-cost activity. Walking provides many health related benefits. Begin your walking routine today!

Effects of Aerobic Training and Nutrition Education on Functional Performance in Low Socioeconomic Older Adults, Journal of Geriatric Physical Therapy 1/1/08

University of Georgia (2008, July 22). “Regular Walking Nearly Halves Elderly Disability Risk.”

The copyright of the article Seniors Can Walk To Better Health in Aerobic Conditioning is owned by Chris Christian. Permission to republish Seniors Can Walk To Better Health in print or online must be granted by the author in writing.