Getting out and moving around is an important part of every life, but when you are getting older it can become even more important. Taking the time to get your legs moving every day has many benefits from improving your health to making the world a more enjoyable place to be, so now is the time to make walking (or running or cycling) a bigger part of your daily life.
Stay Fit
One of the most obvious reasons to include movement more regularly in your life is to improve or maintain your physical fitness. Leg exercises, from gym workouts to cycling, hiking, and running can engage your whole body, increase your fitness, and improve your quality of life.
If you don’t currently work out or get walking often, it’s okay to start small. Work to incorporate daily leg movement into your life, even if it is just for a few minutes a day at first. As you improve your abilities, you can get moving more often and for longer, so you can take advantage of the abilities your body gives you.
Preserve Mobility
All muscles will begin to atrophy and become less usable with a lack of use. By using your legs every day, you can improve your mobility and ensure that they will continue to serve you well. In addition to simply walking or exercising with your legs, it is a good idea to include leg stretches in your routine. This will give you even more mobility and help you to get more out of your regular activities. Consider stretching at the beginning of each day to help you wake up and prepare for the day ahead.
Reduce Varicose Veins
There are many vein diseases that become common as you age. But by moving your legs, you can decrease your risk of these diseases and improve your circulation. Many vein diseases are caused or exacerbated by poor circulation, so taking the time to get up and move every day will help you to avoid these problems and decrease symptoms if the problems already exist. Taking care to move around and focus on improving circulation as a regular part of your life will improve your vascular health and help you to keep your legs and veins functioning well.
Take Advantage of The Local Area
Whether you prefer to walk, run, or bike, getting out of your house on foot can give you a great opportunity to get to know your local area even better. It is easy to miss cute houses, secret trails, and fun parks when you go out by car, but when you travel on foot you can take the time to notice things about your area that you’ve never seen before. Even if you’ve lived in the same place for decades, taking the time to look at it differently and explore can expand your view of your home and make your home a more exciting place to be.
Spend Time with Loved Ones
Walking and biking can be a great way to spend time with the people you love and have fun together. Whether you are walking your grandkids to a playground or meeting friends for yoga in the park, getting out there and moving your body can help you to forge connections with others and have a good time with the people you love. Try to incorporate physical activity into your interactions with friends and family at least once a week to make exercising more fun and to make the time you spend with the people you care about even more meaningful. There is something really exciting about learning something new with a friend, so consider signing up together for an exercise class to get you all moving your legs a little bit more.
See the World
One exciting way to see the world and get to know new places like a local is to take a walking holiday. These traditional English expeditions were ways for people to travel by foot whether for a short trip between cities, or even longer adventures across entire countries. Even today, you can schedule walking holidays with travel agencies or look online to plan your own and have an exciting time visiting a new locale and traveling around on foot. Your walking holiday doesn’t need to be entirely by foot, but even taking the time to simply walk around a new city can give you a chance to experience it differently and get more out of your traveling adventure.
Getting up and moving your legs can help you to improve your health and to have more vibrant experiences with the world around you. If you are retired and have the time to explore the world, from your neighborhood and beyond, it is worth it to take the opportunity.