Celebrate National Walking Day: It’s Good for Your Feet

On the first Wednesday of every April, National Walking Day, we celebrate walking as an easy, safe way to stay in shape. We encourage our patients to embrace walking as a form of weekly exercise starting today. Why? First of all, it’s easy on your joints. Furthermore, consider these other advantages to walking:

• It’s inexpensive – all you really need is a good pair of athletic shoes.
• Your “gym” is always nearby. It’s just beyond your front door, where you can enjoy the fresh air on a beautiful day.
• When the weather isn’t too cooperative, you can choose to walk on an indoor track, at the mall, or at home on a treadmill.
• You can enjoy a walk and a podcast by yourself or invite a friend to exercise with you.

Walking is good for your feet.
A weekly walking regimen strengthens your foundation – the bones and muscles in your feet, ankles, and legs. A strong, stable foundation is important to:

• reduce your risk of osteopenia and osteoporosis.
• increase “functional fitness” – your ability to perform everyday tasks with ease.
• improve balance and reduce the risk of falling, especially for the elderly.

How much walking should you do?
The American Heart Association says all healthy adults should engage in moderate-intensity aerobic exercise for 150 minutes per week. To meet that, you could walk 30 minutes, five times a week, 50 minutes, three times a week, 15 minutes, ten times per week, or – you get the idea! However, you do the math, walking adds up to easy, safe, and effective exercise to keep you and your feet healthy.

Our experienced podiatric surgeons, Dr. Craig B. Frey, Dr. Megan L. Oltmann, and Dr. Jim Swienconek, can help make your new walking regimen successful. We’re happy to examine your feet for any gait abnormalities, advise you about the type of walking shoes you should get, and fix any feet or ankle problems that might prevent you from meeting your walking goals.

Call Foot & Ankle Associates of Cleveland in Solon, Ohio at (440) 903-1041 or contact us online to schedule a consultation. We offer a modern office with the latest technology for podiatric patients in Portage, Geauga, Cuyahoga, and Summit Counties, proudly serving our patients from Solon, Aurora, Bedford, Chagrin Falls, Hudson, Macedonia, and Twinsburg.