Did You Know: There's a Different Way to Walk?
Want to try a free physical activity that doesn’t require any special equipment or fitness membership? If you’ve guessed walking, you’re partly right. Walking is something that most of us do automatically, so we don’t often think about how good it is for our health. It’s not complicated, and even a 10-minute daily walk delivers a host of benefits.
But wait. Let’s take a step—backwards.
Walking is more complicated than you might think. It requires you to remain upright and requires coordination between your eyes, your vestibular system of balance and movement, and proprioception—the awareness of where you are in space.
Try walking backwards. The extra demands on coordinating these three systems are a challenge that can bring health benefits.
It seems like walking backwards is simple, but it isn’t easy. If you want to add it to your exercise regime, it serves to remember you won’t see obstacles and hazards, so in the interest of your safety, start indoors where you won’t crash into someone. Or go outside where it’s flat and open. Jack McNamara, and expert in Clinical Exercise Physiology, offers the following advice.
- Resist the urge to contort your body and look over your shoulder. Keep your head upright while reaching back with your big toe for each step, rolling through from the foot, from toe to heel.
- Once you become confident, you can think about speeding things up and consider transitioning to a treadmill—always using the guiderails. Maintain your body’s integrity.
Normal walking can help you maintain a healthy weight, but if you are interested in trying walking backwards, energy expenditure is almost 40% higher (this link is to a tough article) than walking the same speed forward. If walking backwards seems too easy, add some light weights or carefully try running. Running backwards in small spurts also increases the strength of crucial muscles involved in straightening the knee. This carries over to injury prevention and your ability to generate power.
Want to learn more? Check this out. As always, we have to say these things, "Consult your healthcare provider before beginning any exercise program. This content is for informational purposes only and is not intended as medical advice. Participation in any fitness program may result in injury. The creators are not liable for any injury or harm sustained while performing these activities."
But walking backwards for a reason sure seems fun.
Teresa Pulvermacher, FNP-C
President, ViaroHealth
