Just walk briskly, as if you were running late for an appointment. This will stave off disability in older adults with arthritis pain, or aching or stiffness in a knee, hip, ankle or foot. This is less than 10 minutes a day!
It’s estimated that 14 million older adults in the U.S. have symptomatic knee osteoarthritis, which is the most common form of osteoarthritis. Approximately two in five people with osteoarthritis — most of whom have it in their lower joints — develop disability limitations.
An hour of weekly moderate-to-vigorous physical activity allows older adults to maintain their ability to perform daily tasks like getting dressed or crossing a street before a traffic light walk signal changes.
The weekly hour of exercise reduces risk of mobility disability by 85 percent and their risk of activities of daily living disability, such as walking across a room, by almost 45 percent.
Federal guidelines recommend older adults with arthritis should participate in low-impact activity. For substantial health benefits including reducing the risk for heart disease and many other chronic diseases, these guidelines recommend older adults participate in at least 2.5 hours a week of moderate-intensity activity. Go to WebMD for more information on the benefits of walking.
