Safe Walking Tips: 7 Essential Exercise Precautions

The Recovering Journey: Walking After Covid

Recovering from a challenging round of Covid in 2020, you may choose to embrace walking to regain your fitness, even in your sixties. As corroborated by Stephen Emms in his compelling article, ‘A moment that changed me: my husband and I split up – and I started walking 15,000 steps a day’ (17 January), adopting this exercise routine can be thrilling and habit-forming. Spurred on by your Fitbit counter, you may gradually increase your walks until reaching an astounding average of 20,000 steps daily.

The Downside of Overdoing Exercise

However, after a year of such regular, intense walking, you might find yourself dealing with agonizing heel pain (Plantar Fasciitis) and distressing discomfort in your foot soles (Morton’s neuroma). Such conditions may require treatment options like steroid injections in your toes or orthopaedic inserts for your footwear.

Precautions While Embracing Walking as a Therapy

While walking serves as exceptional therapy, it’s crucial to prepare adequately. Consider investing in high-quality walking boots (with enough width for your toes to spread out), engage in calf-stretching warm-ups, and learn to prioritize your body’s signals over Fitbit demands. Reducing exercise levels as needed is a wise strategy to avoid overexertion and potential injuries. Nick Beddow, Hadfield, Derbyshire