Indoor Walking Workout for Seniors in Grand Prairie, TX

In summary:

• Indoor walking can support stronger cardiovascular health, even long into the senior years.
• Start with 10- or 15-minute walks, then gradually progress to 30 minutes, aiming for 150 minutes of walking per week.
• Pair walking with other health efforts and track efforts to encourage yourself as you improve.

Morada Grand Prairie, located in Grand Prairie, TX, enjoys its proximity to dozens of amenities and the green areas surrounding the friendly senior community. However, you may not want to go for a walk outside, especially when it's raining, so why not take up an indoor walking workout instead?

Just because National Wellness Month is over, it doesn't mean you should remain seated. Instead, pick up a low-impact walking routine and start developing healthy aging habits. Read on for some daily movement ideas to support assisted living fitness and boost your heart health today.

Does Indoor Walking Count as Exercise?

Indoor walking is still walking, regardless of the method used. As such, so long as you are moving, a moderate-intensity, low-impact walking routine can accumulate over the weeks and months to contribute to your body's general health.

For those who want to improve their stamina and balance, walking offers senior mobility support, even if it's only a half-hour every day.

Of course, if you are concerned about walking around the corridors, remember that a fitness center exists in Morada Grand Prairie. You can take advantage of many of the amenities we offer to make the most of your time within our walls.

How Intense Should an Indoor Walk Be?

One of the best health benefits of indoor walking is the increase in your heart rate. It is a fantastic test of exercise intensity, offering a target to aim for and a warning if you exceed it.

While every person is different, the American Heart Association provides target heart rates for exercise. These are separated by age, allowing you a good baseline to judge your efforts based on.

At 60 years old, your target heart rate should be around 80-136 beats per minute (bpm). It is also recommended that you not exceed 160 bpm.

At 65 years, the recommended exercise rate is 78-132 bpm, with a maximum of 155 bpm.

For individuals aged 70 and above, an exercise rate of 75-128 bpm and a maximum of 150 bpm is recommended.

As stated before, everyone is different. Therefore, if your heart rate falls outside this range, take it into account when measuring it after exercising. 

Balance and Mobility Support for Seniors

As falling is a serious concern for many seniors, make sure to mix up your fitness efforts. Do more than increase your heart rate, and try to improve via:

• Aerobics
• Muscle-strengthening exercises
• Balance-improving activities

The CDC recommends these to produce a more well-rounded effort to improve the body's health.

Daily Movement Ideas in Our Community

Our Assisted Living community offers numerous opportunities to exercise, extending beyond simply walking. The purpose is to get out of your seat and engage with the world around you, moving your body to increase your heart rate.

Our community is diverse, and opportunities exist throughout Grand Prairie for you to try other things, including:

Yard work: Nobody expects you to push around a lawnmower, but clearing up a few leaves or grass cuttings, or simply walking around and inspecting the plants, is more than enough.

Housework: Mop or vacuum your own apartment, moving around the space to clean.

Dancing: Not everything is work. Put on some music, or ask a friend to sing, and improve your physical health by expressing yourself. Get others involved or join one of our music-based activities to take part in the community at the same time.

Frequently Asked Questions

Do Indoor Walking Workouts Work?

Of course, regular indoor walking works in the same way that outdoor walking would. The only difference is your access to fresh air and the possibility of needing to go around someone in a corridor.

Over time, the benefits also build up as you walk consistently. You can grow your stamina and improve your balance, making walking even easier and allowing you to engage in the activity with greater ease. At the same time, pair it with light strength work or other activities for a more well-rounded exercise regimen.

We recommend keeping the intensity low to moderate, however. It is crucial to both pace yourself and not start running around our corridors.

Can I Lose Belly Fat by Walking in Place?

When you are moving around, you are using energy, and your body uses its stores when it runs out of energy that is freely available otherwise. One of those stores is the fat in your body, including that in your belly. 

So, by focusing on walking, even if you are walking around corridors or walking in place, you can start to eliminate any belly fat you would prefer not to have. However, you should also pair this with a nutritionally dense diet that avoids sugary drinks and processed foods. Fortunately, the regular meals offered by our kitchen staff do just that.

How Much Should I Walk Indoors to Lose Weight?

The amount of walking people need to do to lose weight varies from person to person. If you are starting, we recommend aiming for ten to 15 minutes per day before gradually increasing to 30 minutes as you become more fit.

However, with 150 minutes of walking or other exercise activity per week, you can give yourself a better chance of burning off those extra calories and losing the weight you want to shed.

Build an Indoor Walking Routine

Starting your indoor walking workout with simple steps and then gradually increasing the intensity over time may be one of the most sensible ways to improve your fitness and health. However, keep your activities low-impact and comfortable.

Morada Grand Prairie offers indoor spaces that allow you to enjoy exercise year-round, as well as a spacious outdoor area that is also pet-friendly, making it a great community to take a walk with your companion. If you would like to learn more about what we offer, please don't hesitate to get in touch. Book a tour of our community and learn what we're all about today.