Have you ever been taught to walk properly? My guess is no. But making sure you tick all the boxes when it comes to proper walking technique can help prevent injury, and maximize the health benefits. Here are 5 tips to make sure you start off on the right foot, online personal trainer, Andrew Cate, explains.
1. Perfect your posture
The two key points on walking posture are to look forward, and stand tall. Keep your head up to open up the airways, and push the chest slightly out to prevent any arching of your back.
2. Activate your core
To utilise your core muscles, you need to consciously contract your abdominal muscles, sucking your belly button in towards your spine. This is called "engaging" or "activating" your core, and it helps stabile the spine.
3. Roll your foot from heel to toe
With each step, your heel should touch the ground first, taking all your weight until the other heel strikes the ground. After the initial contact, smoothly roll your foot from heel to toe, or more specifically, onto the ball of your foot. Try to flow forward and avoid marching, crashing or slapping your feet into the ground. This will reduce the stress on your ankles, knees, calves and shins.
4. Push forward with your back foot
When you start to stride out, push yourself forward off the ball of your back foot. Aim for more frequent smaller steps rather than taking longer steps to increase your speed. It's also important to propel yourself forwards instead of vertically. If your body bounces up and down rather than forwards, the impact on your foot is increased.
5. Be aware of your breath
During exercise we naturally increase our rate of breathing, but not necessarily the depth. Because oxygen fuels fat burning, make sure you are take deep breaths. It’s also beneficial to coordinate your breath with each step. Ideally, your body will naturally exhale when each foot touches the ground. Timing your breathing in this way will improve airflow to the lungs and help support the spine to absorb the impact of each step.
Do you feel like your walking technique is up to scratch? Are there any other walking technique tips you have found helpful?
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