Do you walk? Are you doing it right, though? We are not talking about you putting one foot in front of the other and moving. Do you know how to walk properly? Chances are, you might be doing it all wrong. This wrong step could lead to pain, poor posture, and excess weight. Joanna Hall, a sports scientist and the founder of the WalkActive method, told The Post that “Anybody and everybody can walk better. If we can take something that is like the glue of our life and achieve it to the best of our ability, the effect can be deeply profound.”
Hall spoke about the few common mistakes people make when they walk. The first is muscular imbalances in the body. According to Hall, when you walk wrong or with poor form, you’re putting some muscles into overdrive while leaving others in the dust.
The second factor that contributes to this is our sedentary lifestyle. Most of us are sitting all the time. We are either glued to our desks, hunched over our phones, or sitting all day. This sedentary lifestyle can lead to muscle atrophy and stiffness.
The third factor that influences our walking habits is the personal experience. Something like injuries from accidents or surgeries, differences in the length of the legs, or pregnancy can have a say in how you walk.
Hall also listed the 4 mistakes in our walking that contribute to pain and excess weight.
Engaging the wrong muscles
Do you have lower back pain after walking? Well, then you might be relying on the wrong muscles. Hall explained that a common mistake that many people make is overusing their hip flexor muscles, which are naturally tight, instead of engaging their posterior chain, the muscles running from the upper back down to the calves.
When the focus is on your hip flexors, it causes an imbalance and can shorten stride length, making movement stiff and robotic. Research suggests that overusing hip flexors can limit the distance a person is able to walk. “Our intentions are good, but the movement recruitment pattern is not serving us well,” Hall said.
Using the passive feet
Flat-footed walking, or what Hall calls a ‘passive foot strike,’ is another common mistake. Each foot has 26 bones and 33 joints designed for stability, flexibility, and body weight support while absorbing impact and propelling you forward. “Wherever we have a joint, we’re meant to have movement,” Hall said. However, when you walk wrong due to a passive foot strike, you overuse the hip flexors, which negates your ability to use all the joints in your feet. Modern footwear, which often comes with a narrow fit, further worsens this, and forces toes to scrunch together and limit their natural spread. This alters the foot’s natural mechanism. Walking with a flat-footed stride can result in pain and discomfort, especially in the knees. It could also prevent hamstrings from functioning properly, further throwing off walking mechanics.
Incorrect head position
Do you lean forward while walking? Well, that’s another problem. “People tend to lean forward from the head. Think: looking down at your phone during your commute). This has huge implications on the way the body moves,” Hall said.
When you are standing tall, the head weighs about 10 to 11 pounds. However, when you tilt it forward, it increases strain on the spine. This posture also puts a major strain on the muscles in your upper back and limits the spine’s ability to rotate fully. “We want to encourage rotation of the spine because it improves our mobility and our posture,” she added. When you lean forward it also restricts your ability to take a deep breath, by reducing the diaphragm movement to 3 or 4 centimeters from 10. “That means the volume of oxygen coming into the body is reduced,” she said. This also decreases the mental health benefits of walking. Keeping the head high enhances ‘optic flow,’ the perception of objects moving past, which helps calm the brain’s stress and anxiety centers.
Neglecting your arms
Are your arms just hanging there and doing nothing while you walk? Well, that could be a huge problem. “When the arm doesn’t do anything, we’re losing out on the ability to have whole body movement. It specifically limits our ability to utilize the abdominal muscles and create shape around the waistline,” she said. You will only reap the full benefits of walking when you engage your arms while walking briskly. This will activate your upper and lower body muscles, and help you to burn more calories in the process.