Guest Column: Getting healthier in 2014

Guest Column: Getting healthier in 2014

Eric West
St Johns, FL

Over 2000 years ago, Hippocrates said “Walking is man’s best medicine” and his advice then still rings true today.

As we get closer to the New Year, many more people will make resolutions to start walking for better health or to lose weight. Some will stick with it and achieve their goals, many others will not. Most who do not succeed, fail because they “overdo it” at the start.

If you have not walked in a while and you go on a 5-mile walk on day one, your body is likely to hurt. No one wants to walk when their feet or legs are in pain so you stop and go back to your sedentary lifestyle.

The best advice, start slow and stick with it. For a walking regimen, start with as little as 5 to 10 minutes a day, five days a week, for the first week. Increase your walks by 5 minutes per day in week two and so on until you are walking for 30 minutes per day 5 days a week.

Get your spouse, a friend, or a neighbor to go with you to help you stay motivated.

Smartphones have apps to track your walks or you can keep track in a log either on your computer or on a simple sheet of paper. Keeping track of your walks will help keep you motivated. The most important thing is to stick with it.

What about those people who want to get out and walk — but can’t due to extreme pain?

If you are one of these pain suffers, try using an orthotic. They can be an affordable and effective solution. Hydrothotics are available in chiropractic offices across the country, or online at www.hydrothotics.com

Hydrothotics immediately relieve pain in the feet, heels, ankles, knees, hips and lower back. They support arches in the feet with their dynamic fluid technology. They massage the feet; increasing circulation, relieving inflammation, and shortening recovery times after a walk, or after working all day.

With or without the aid of a fluid orthotic, just remember that walking is still the best way for you to be healthier, lose weight, improve muscle tone, be happier and guard against the onset of dementia, among other benefits.

You see people of all age groups walking on the sidewalks, on the beach, and on treadmills at the gym. Everyone seems to be trying to get healthier, and you can too — even if you need the help of an orthotic to eliminate foot pain. Get up on your feet again, and join them so that you can achieve your New Year’s resolution in 2014.