Wake Up And Walk! 7 Benefits Of Taking A Morning Stroll
By
Nick Parkinson, M.Ed., AT, ATC, TSAC-F
Henry Ford Health
May 3, 2022
Still having difficulty fitting exercise into your day? Start by heading out for a morning walk.
No matter your fitness level, walking offers tremendous benefits, including improving your mood, managing your weight, increasing your energy and reducing your risk for disease. All you need is a good pair of walking shoes and a place to stroll.
7 Benefits Of A Morning Walk
Starting your day with a morning walk helps you check something important off your daily to-do list – your fitness.
Even if you only have time for a 10-minute walk each morning, you’ll have up to 70 minutes of exercise by the end of the week. And any type of movement that you add in later in the day, whether it’s taking the stairs or walking to your car at the far end of the parking lot, improves your overall health.
Morning walks offer many benefits, helping to:
Boost your inner athlete. Taking a morning walk boosts your stamina, flexibility and energy. As your fitness improves, you’ll be able to move through your daily activities more easily.
Improve your mood. Getting outside gives you a chance to enjoy fresh air and nature. Walking, like any form of exercise, reduces stress and anxiety. You’ll start the day with a positive attitude, better able to manage challenges during the day.
Increase your productivity. After a morning walk, you feel energized and ready to take on the day. Starting your day with physical activity improves your concentration and productivity.
Keep you standing tall. Many of us are sitting at work or school for several hours each day, often without watching our posture. Walking with your shoulders back and head held up improves posture. Walking also improves your core muscles, which help support your spine.
Manage your weight. After a full night’s sleep, walking helps jump-start your metabolism, allowing you to burn calories at a faster rate. Along with a healthy diet, walking can help manage weight.
Reduce your risk for disease. A regular walking routine can reduce your risk for diabetes, heart disease, hypertension (high blood pressure), obesity and some cancers.
Strengthen your bones. Our bodies are constantly making new bone and breaking down old bone. After age 50, we lose bone mass as our bodies break down old bone at a faster rate. Along with a healthy diet, weight-bearing exercise like walking strengthens your bones and reduces your risk for osteoporosis.
How To Start Your Morning Walk Routine
Keep these strategies in mind as you plan your morning stroll:
Eat a light snack before you walk. After sleeping all night, it’s helpful to eat a light snack or breakfast before heading out the door. Toast with almond butter or some yogurt with nuts and berries can give you the energy you need, especially if you’re planning a longer walk.
Check out different walking routes or events. On a busy morning, you may choose to walk close to home to save time. When your schedule permits, explore different neighborhoods, nature preserves or trails in your area. You may also want to check out local 5K races — many of these events welcome walkers.
Don’t forget to stretch. After walking, take a few minutes to stretch your leg muscles to work out any knots in your calves, hamstrings or thighs.
Increase impact with weights and intervals. As you build your stamina, boost the benefits of your walk by holding light weights or wearing a weighted vest. Try turning your walk into an interval training session by alternating between a fast and slow pace.
Prepare for the weather. To avoid falling on icy winter sidewalks, wear proper boots and spikes. Wear hats, scarves and gloves to protect your skin from frostbite. Wear a hat and sunscreen in the summer heat. Carry a water bottle to stay hydrated, especially on longer walks.
Schedule your morning walks. Add a morning walk to your calendar and keep the appointment. Over time, morning walks can become a habit you won’t want to give up.
Walk with a buddy. Find a walking partner who will hold you accountable for your commitment to exercise. To enjoy even more socializing as you walk, check out walking groups in your community.
To find a doctor at Henry Ford, visit henryford.com or call 1-800-436-7936.
Nick Parkinson, M.Ed., AT, ATC, TSAC-F Supervisor of Athletic Training with Henry Ford Sports Medicine, also leads Sports Performance training at the William Clay Ford Center for Athletic Medicine. He is a regular contributor to Henry Ford LiveWell. Learn more about Nick
The Dangers of Returning to a Sport Too Soon After an Injury
September 12, 2023
When you've been hit with an injury, it's natural to want to get back to your regular activities as soon as possible. In fact, it's not uncommon for athletes to sidestep doctors' orders and return to the field or the court before an injury has healed.
"It doesn’t matter how much you train, or how much you prepare, injuries are going to happen, especially if you're an athlete," says Jamie Schwab, an athletic trainer at Henry Ford Health System. "But the real trouble arises when athletes try to play through their pain without allowing sufficient time for recovery."
Risks Of Returning Too Soon After Injury
If you sprain your ankle during a cross country run, it can be tempting to finish the race. Unfortunately, hiding your pain and powering through the activity can actually make matters worse.
"If you continue to work out after suffering from an injury, you run the risk of furthering that injury," Schwab says. So what began as a minor ankle sprain can evolve into a major sprain that sidelines you for weeks.
Returning to play after surgery demands extra precautions. "Athletes are a lot more susceptible to re-injury after returning from surgery, especially if they don't complete the entire 9-month or year-long rehabilitation protocol," Schwab says. In some cases, you can exacerbate an injury to such a degree that you'll never be able to participate in the same capacity.
A Safe Return To Play
The road back to play after an injury is a long and winding one. Before you can even consider returning to exercise, you need to reduce swelling, get pain under control and get your range of motion back to almost normal.
"The recovery process takes time," Schwab says. "But if you stick with it, and you take it seriously, it's going to be a whole lot easier for you to return to the playing field in a timely manner."
Once you get pain and swelling under control, you can focus on agility and weight exercises that will help you regain strength and slowly return to baseline. The key tenets for a safer return to play:
► Be honest about your abilities: "So many athletes are afraid to tell the truth," Schwab says. "But if you're hurting and you're not competing at your full potential, you're letting your team down and yourself down, too." Even worse, you could increase your risk of further injury.
► Focus on building strength: Strength training is critical. It can help you become faster, stronger and more agile on the field. It can also help you recover more quickly after an injury.
► Listen to your body: If something doesn't feel right, pay attention to it. Talk to your athletic trainer or a physical therapist to get to the bottom of what's bugging you and put a plan in place to address it.
Boosting Performance Over The Long Haul
Unfortunately, not every coach and athletic trainer stresses the importance of a maintenance program. In fact, focused training and maintenance exercises are key to preventing injuries in the first place.
"The rehabilitation exercises you begin doing on day one after injury need to be maintained at least three to four times each week, indefinitely," Schwab says. "If you follow that regimen, all of your muscular nagging strains will no longer be a problem because your body is constantly adapting to the stresses. It's conditioned, it's strong, it can withstand the constant changes in direction."
Most importantly, don't be afraid to try complementary strategies. Practice using a foam roller, try cupping to release tension in the muscles and enhance blood flow and consider getting a monthly massage.
Jamie Schwab, AT, ATC, SCAT, CSCS, is an athletic trainer with Henry Ford Sports Medicine and works with student athletes at Edsel Ford High School. She is a National Strength and Conditioning Association-certified strength and conditioning specialist.
To find a sports medicine doctor or athletic trainer at Henry Ford, visit henryford.com/sports.