Walking

So, I’ve been walking.  I figure if I’m going to do it I should get as much out of it as I can so I googled “walking tips”.  Considering that walking is a pretty basic action for most of us, there’s way more info out there than I expected (entire websites!).  I did pick up a few good tips and realized that I was doing a couple of things “wrong”.

~ A Few Walking Tips ~

• Chin up with your eyes forward, not looking down.
• Shrug once and let your shoulders fall and relax, then roll your shoulders slightly back and down.
• Keep your stomach tight – as if you are bracing for a punch but don’t hold your breath.
• A controlled arm motion can lend power to your walking, burning 5-10% more calories.
• Bend your elbow 90 degrees.  Hands should be loose in a partially closed curl, never clenched. 
• Keep your elbows close to your body – don’t “chicken wing” (like speed walkers in movies).
• Avoid overstriding, which is taking longer steps to increase speed. Overstriding is inefficient.
• Rather than lengthening your stride, to increase your speed, take more and smaller steps instead.
• While walking, your forward leg has no power - the back leg is what is driving you forward.
• Pay attention to get the full power out of the push from the back leg and make sure your foot is rolling through the step from heel to toe.
• It’s very important to cool down after walking.  Simply slow your pace to lower your heart rate and return your breathing to normal. 
• Stretching is equally important after your walk.  Spend 5-10 minutes stretching your large muscles.

Curves Simple Stretching Guide

Those are the tips I found helpful – BUT I AM NOT A DOCTOR, nor do I play one on tv.  I found that while I was walking if I did a “mental head to toe scan” that I kept finding areas that needed improvement (such as my shoulders weren’t back or my abs weren’t tight, etc…) Later in the evening I could really “feel” the difference that following those tips made.  My abs felt as if I’d done a lot of sit ups for one thing!  I know that by making those adjustments that it helped me to burn more calories than I would have otherwise. 

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Moving More and getting More out of it!

~ Angie ~