Walking is more than just a personal mode of transportation. With more than 145 million adults including it as a critical part of their active lifestyle. With all of these steps being racked up, you’d think we all are doing it correctly. Well, we are here to tell you that you might be walking the wrong way and it matters.
Your posture matters
When walking with improper, poor form, we are not capitalising on our time invested in improving our overall health. Not only is walking extremely beneficial from a cardiovascular standpoint, but it’s also highly useful for our musculoskeletal system. Having poor posture doesn’t mean you’re lazy, it may be a sign of overly tight muscles or a weak core. Focusing on correct posture while walking will not only build strength in weak muscles. It will also increase the benefits your entire body gets from the exercise.
Poor posture isn’t merely a result of an imbalance in the body; it can cause health issues in the future. Poor posture puts additional strain on the body and leads to problems like spinal pain. More than making walking more comfortable, your stance has a tremendous impact on your overall health and well-being.
Relax your back
This technique begins by keeping one’s head and neck in proper alignment so that the head is centred over the torso. The eyes are looking forward to the distant horizon, by avoiding bending forward or backwards at the head and neck junction, undue pressure on our discs is avoided. Stay relaxed, proper posture isn’t about standing stiffly upright.
When the head is slumped forward, the rest of the body will follow. By staying relaxed, you can prevent a lot of postural pain. Paying attention to the movement of our arms and legs is also a vital part of the proper walking technique. Our arms will ideally be at our sides with the elbows flexed about 45–60 degrees. Our arms assist our legs in propelling us forward with our left arm moving forward as our right leg is in stride (and vice versa). The key point here is to stay relaxed and let your arms and legs flow in a rhythm.
Finally, paying attention to stride length is a key to avoiding injury. The pelvis should be facing forward, and hips should be parallel. While stepping in this position. Keeping your stride natural and avoiding steps that are too long will help prevent overuse injuries.
How to walk with a proper gait
With your stride length in mind, you want to be aware of your gait. Paying attention to how your feet interact with the ground is the final piece of the puzzle. Three stages of the gait cycle involve the heel, midfoot and toes. Understanding the difference between these three helps you propel yourself forward in the most efficient — and safest — way.
Make sure that we strike the ground with our heel first this aids in absorbing the shock impact through our other joints, mainly the knee. When we hit the ground with our knees in a slight degree of flexion. If we strike the ground with the midfoot in a slapping motion we are transmitting excessive force through our lower extremity joints and placing them at risk for injury.
Once your heel has hit the ground, Your foot should roll smoothly from the heel to the midfoot. Use the toes to send your foot and leg forward before starting all over again with the other foot. Taking a few minutes each day to be aware of your posture and work toward making any corrections needed. So you can keep your body healthy and mobile for as long as possible.
I hope you get some tips from this article its supposed to help everyone’s technique in walking and make it more enjoyable for everyone.
