Walking the Years Off

The little old ladies we see in the office, who are very functional for their age, have one interesting commonality. You know these people. They are putting gardens in the spring, mowing their yards in the summer and raking the leaves in the fall. They talk about their laundry, cleaning and grocery shopping that hasn’t stopped. Everything happens a little slower than it used to, but it’s still happening. But what is their secret?

Here is a hint…what have they stopped doing? The answer, almost nothing. 

An 86-year young patient of mine once said to me, “Honey, you gotta take your pick. You either rust out or wear out. It’s all a choice”. 

And was she absolutely right? Yes she was. 

We hear the old adage: Use it or loose it. But it’s the truth. Even research has provided support in continued movement preserving functions of the body from a metabolic and functional standpoint. Researchers have found marked physiological functions that directly benefit from walking, specifically in the 10,000 steps per day range. 

Researchers completed a mini review looking through 28 published research articles to find the commonality on the subject of, “What does 8,000-10,000 steps do?”. They found that two of the biggest problems facing the modern world, blood pressure and cholesterol, were better managed and in certain cases greatly reduced. Body composition was also greatly improved with consistent walking in the 8,000-10,000 steps per day range.

So back to our little old lady. It seems the choice is simple. Do what you can, when you can, every day. Keep moving and your body will reward you for the long term. Longevity is a long term game after all. Remember, any movement is movement. Walking, dancing, cleaning your house. It’s all motion.

A body in motion stays in motion.