Fitness Walking

RULES FOR WALKING:

1. Take Short Quick Steps to ground your bouncy walk.

   To walk faster, many people take longer steps. This increase in stride length actually slows them down, over arches the back, and creates more bounce and compression into the joints. Warning signs of Overstriding include: a bouncy or noisy walk with heel, knee or low back pain which increases during or after walking.

2. Develop Push-off Power to build a faster, dynamic walk.

   You might think you are pushing off, but you're probably not getting the power you could. Most people (approx. 75%) don't have their feet under and behind them. They step forward, don't use their ankles and lower legs fully and fail to roll through their feet. Warning signs of Poor Push-off include: a slow often flat footed walk that is more in front of the body than underneath, joint pain, and lack of leg and buttock contouring.

3. Balance your Body to enjoy an efficient, fluid stride.

   Most of us who drive cars have a stronger right leg which tends to push off harder when we walk. Often our right arm also dominates. The left arm and leg remain less dominate. This imbalance can create a problem when we consider the consequences of taking 8,000 - 10,000 steps in our average day, exclusive of exercise walking.

   If one foot points out at an angle, while the other tracks forward, or we roll to the inside (pronate) or outside (supinate) of one foot, then trouble may be waiting further down the road. Mother Nature prefers balance.

   Warning signs of an Unbalanced Gait include: uneven sound of footsteps, uneven shoe wear, socks or other clothing which twists on the body, one arm which swings more easily back, joint pain in the leg, hip or spine on one side (which may be straining to keep you walking forward).

4. Elongate your Body to grow taller and thinner.

   Unfortunately, most of us haven't learned to use our skeletal system to hold us up. Our muscles are over stressed doing that job. This reduces our oxygen intake and circulation leaving us too tired to sit or stand straight.

   Warning signs of Compression include: heavy or slow walk, poor posture, spinal or joint pain, and difficulty breathing.

5. Bring your Shoulders Over Hips to improve your stride, posture and confidence.

   When we carry a heavy bundle with two arms, we naturally lean slightly backward to center the weight. All too frequently, we continue carrying the upper body behind our hips, the way we see models sometimes walk. This common posture can only be identified by having someone take a photo of you from the side. Warning signs of Shoulders Behind Hips include: slower walk, poor posture, headache, back ache, and shoulder tension.

   To correct, lift and slide your rib cage more forward to build a strong core and faster pain free walk. You'll also need to lift your chin slightly.

6. Bring your Ears Over Shoulders to enjoy a more youthful appearance.

   Unfortunately, our daily activities of writing, computing, driving and talking focus our efforts right in front of our faces. Our eyes, our minds and our heads tend to strain forward. We can see this happening in our children as they jut their neck and head forward carrying heavy backpacks. They tend to reinforce this posture when they sit down to computers (often beginning at early as age 4). This posture wrecks havoc on the body but it's excellent for manufacturers of pain killers. It also tends to make us age faster and become stooped. Warning signs of Forward Head include: slower walk, poor posture, headache, backache, and shoulder tension.

   To prevent pain, strain and rounded shoulders, stand tall with your head gently perched on top of your spine.

Teacher Websites © 2009 SchoolWorld