Welcome to our Doctor’s Q&A corner!

Welcome to our Doctor’s Q&A corner!
Today Dr Virdi answers questions on fitness for older adults in their 60s, 70s and above, specifically on Walking and Cardio. Don’t forget to send in any questions you might have for Dr Virdi. All personal details remain confidential. We will only publish your question.

Question/s:

“Is walking enough exercise? How many steps should I aim for each day? How long should I walk? What should my heart rate be during exercise?”

Answers:

Is walking enough exercise?

Walking is an excellent form of cardiovascular exercise and should be part of most people's weekly routine. It can be an easy way to build more movement into your day — whether that's walking all or part of the way to work, taking a walk during your lunch break, or going for an evening walk after dinner.

For health benefits, try to make some of your walking brisk enough to raise your heart rate and breathing. A useful guide is that you should still be able to talk, but you may be slightly out of breath.

However, walking shouldn't be the only form of exercise we do. Alongside cardiovascular activity, we should also include strength or resistance training at least twice a week to maintain muscle strength, bone health and physical function as we age.

How many steps should I aim for each day?

There isn't one magic number of steps that everyone needs to achieve. If you're currently doing very little activity, 5,000 steps a day can be a realistic starting point, gradually increasing as your fitness improves.

Around 7,000–10,000 steps a day is a good general goal for many adults, but you don't need to become fixated on reaching exactly 10,000 every day. Even increasing your usual number of steps can provide health benefits.

It's also worth remembering that steps are only one way of measuring activity. The overall aim is to accumulate regular moderate-intensity physical activity throughout the week.

How long should I walk?

Rather than concentrating solely on the number of steps, think about the intensity and total amount of activity you're getting.

A good target is around 150 minutes of moderate-intensity cardiovascular exercise per week — for example, 30 minutes of brisk walking on five days of the week. If you're able to do more, that's even better.

You can build this up gradually, and you don't necessarily have to do it all in one session. Shorter periods of activity throughout the day still count.

What should my heart rate be during exercise?

This varies considerably from person to person and depends on factors such as age, fitness level, medications and any underlying medical conditions.

As fitness improves, your resting heart rate may become lower and also during exercise.

During exercise, your heart rate will naturally rise and can reach anywhere around 120-180 beats per minute. If you're new to exercise, start gradually and listen to your body, taking breaks when needed to regulate the heart rate. If you experience symptoms such as chest pain, significant breathlessness, dizziness, fainting or an unusual racing or irregular heartbeat, stop exercising and see your GP.