6-6-6 Walking Trend for Senior Adults (Have You Tried It Yet?)

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Tye Medical Incontinence Products

For more information about the author, click to view their website: TYE Medical

Posted on

Mar 11, 2025

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Florida - Sarasota, Bradenton & Charlotte Counties

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If you’ve heard of the 6-6-6 walking trend and haven’t tried it, now is the time. The routine is simple, flexible, joint-friendly, and safe for most health conditions. If you’re having trouble finding a workout that works for your schedule, your chronic conditions, and your weight loss goals, this might be a right fit for you. Walking has long been touted as the best form of exercise for disease prevention. Just walking over 3,500 steps per day has been shown to reduce your risk of cardiovascular disease and risk of death.

Here is what you need to know about the 6-6-6 walking workout and how it can benefit you.

The Method: 6-6-6 Walking Workout

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This easy title lays out the plan for you which is 60 minutes of walking at either 6 a.m. or 6 p.m. with a 6-minute warm-up and cool-down. Your warm-up and cool-down are taken at a slower pace and help your body prepare for the workout and recover afterward.

You spend most of the workout moving at a brisk pace to keep your heart rate elevated and benefit your cardiovascular system. The simple method and short duration is meant to work for people with tight schedules yet be challenging enough to provide a solid workout.

One of the most appealing features of this method is its flexibility. You can choose a pace that suits your abilities and needs. The goal is to appropriately challenge yourself and elevate your heart rate, so there is no prescription for how fast you walk. For older adults and those with health conditions, this is key.

Other benefits of the 6-6-6 walking trend is that you log over the 150 minutes of recommended exercise in a week when you do it for three or more days per week. And walking early or later in the day helps you get your workout in before your busy daytime routine begins or after it ends.

Health Benefits of the 6-6-6 Walking Workout

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Walking boosts weight loss and cardiovascular health when you keep your heart rate in the fat-burning zone, which is 50-70% of your maximum heart rate. The cardio zone, which requires more vigorous activity and a higher heart rate is also great for cardio health but not as effective for burning fat in the short term.

This means that by calculating your fat-burning zone and spending most of your 60 minutes at that pace can promote weight loss and keep your heart healthy. Many digital treadmills and smartwatches will calculate your fat-burning zone for you, letting you know when you enter it or move into another zone. But you can also calculate it for yourself.

Calculate your maximum heart rate (MHR) by subtracting your age from 200.

  • MHR = 220- [your age]
  • 180 = 220 - 40
  • MHR for 40 year old = 180 

Then calculate your fat-burning range by multiplying your maximum heart rate by 50% and then by 70%.

  • Fat-burning zone (for 40 year old) = MHR x 50% and MHR x 70%
  • Fat-burning zone (for 40 year old) = 180 x .5 and 180 x .7
  • Fat burning zone (for 40 year old) = 90 and 126
  • Fat-burning zone (for 40 year old) = 90 to 126 beats per minute

When you walk in this zone, you’re burning more fat as fuel, which is more immediate and effective for weight loss. Additionally, this walking has a lower impact than running or other types of exercise, making it gentler for the long term and more accessible for many people.

Other benefits of walking include:

  • Reduces anxiety and depression
  • Improves gut health
  • Improves bone health
  • Improved cognition (thinking abilities)
  • Improves sleep
  • Increases energy and stamina
  • Improves memory
  • Lowers blood pressure, blood sugar, and cholesterol
  • Reduces risk of stroke, heart disease, diabetes, and some cancers

How to Start a New Walking Routine

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To get started with any new workout, you must want it. You must have some benefit in mind that makes it worth making a change and sticking to it. Perhaps you’ve recently been diagnosed and your doctor prescribes exercise for management. Or, maybe you’ve been gaining weight and are seeking a way to reverse the trend. You might also be motivated by the realization that aging increases the risk of many chronic diseases, and you know it’s time you were more proactive with your health. Whatever the case, find your motivation first.

When you first start, begin slowly. You might find that an hour is just too long for the first day or week. That’s okay. Find what you can do and start there. If you can only walk for 10-15 minutes, it’s a starting point that you can build from. Plan to slowly increase your time.

Other tips include:

  • Don’t skip your warm-ups and cool-downs. This gives your body time to adjust and makes your workout go more smoothly.
  • When you’re comfortable, try alternating your pace with faster and slower intervals. You can gradually increase the time you spend walking faster. This is only if your health allows.
  • Try walking uphill or incline your treadmill to make the walk more challenging and burn more calories. Again, only if your health allows.
  • If you get bored, try watching your favorite show on a device or listen to a podcast or audio book while you walk.

Recap of the 6-6-6 Walking Trend

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This workout recommends walking 60 minutes per day at either 6 a.m. or 6 p.m. with a 6-minute warm-up and cool-down. When you adopt this workout method, you can reap many benefits like weight loss, improved cardiovascular help, better sleep, improved mood, and even diabetes prevention.

Before you begin, be sure to find your motivation and experiment with your speed and interval walking when you need more of a challenge. If you find walking boring, try using a device and earbuds to occupy your mind with a favorite show or podcast.

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Meet Heather Tetrault of My Care Finders

Today wed like to introduce you to Heather Tetrault.Hi Heather, thanks for joining us today. Wed love for you to start by introducing yourself.Growing up, I didnt have anything. Quite frankly, we were poor. Since this was the only life I knew, I didnt realize how unfortunate I was until I began getting out more and soon realized that it was not normal. No one in my family graduated high school, not to mention stepping foot on campus at a college. I didnt know that life could be so much more than what I had, but I knew I did not want to follow in those footsteps.At 15 years old, I started the process of being emancipated. I had to prove to the courts that I was able to finish high school and work to support myself. Quite scary, I know! While giving up would have been the path of least resistance, I kept going and became the first to graduate high school in my family and put myself through college. I received my degree in Healthcare Administration because I thought I wanted to run a hospital and change the world, helping those who are less fortunate to have access to the appropriate medical care.I soon realized that I was one person and could not change the world alone. However, this allowed other opportunities where I became the executive director of Assisted Living and ran a 120-bed facility. My passion is helping seniors, so after gaining the skills and expertise in the senior living industry, I soon took that knowledge and started my own company, called My Care Finders. I love it because we provide a free service to seniors and their families.Would you say its been a smooth road, and if not what are some of the biggest challenges youve faced along the way?Mostly, it has been a smooth path to success with lots of sleepless hours initially. The biggest struggle is finding individuals that have a self-starter mindset and who work really hard for their success. Also, finding a mentor willing to invest in me, and who I can learn from.I am humble enough to know that I dont know everything and I love learning from adults older than me. I have the ambition and resilience and I know what it takes to become successful. Looking back, every road I took, lead me to here, so I can honestly say that I have no regrets.Alright, so lets switch gears a bit and talk business. What should we know?My Care Finders is a FREE resource for seniors and their loved ones needing a retirement or senior living community. Its similar to a realtor, but for senior living communities, so we never pass any fees on to families. We are very transparent with the way it works and sometimes we are not paid at all for our hard work.What sets us apart from our competition is the skills, knowledge, and expertise we have collectively on our team because everyone on our team has worked with seniors. My husband and partner is a licensed nursing home administrator and I am CORE trained and a former executive director of Assisted Living.We also have an LPN on the team. We have a great reputation in the community and we are committed to serving our seniors. We are very proud of our brand because we started from the ground up and many families and other professionals think we are a franchise because of how professional we are. Families should know that we are truly here as an advocate for them.We do not work for any particular community, but we can narrow down the options to a select few after discussing with the family about their loved ones wants, needs, preferences, social desires, budget, and geographic location. There are too many options to look alone and the process can be very overwhelming. We provide free lifetime consulting as well.Before we go, is there anything else you can share with us?My biggest piece of advice is to never give up. If you fall down, get back up and realize that it will only make you stronger.Contact Info:Website: https://mycarefinders.com/Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/mycarefinders/Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/mycarefindersLinkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/company/my-care-finders/?viewAsMember=trueYoutube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCAb88kqp0ePLiNPJCvPWpFQ

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