It’s no secret that walking is good for you.
A natural and low impact activity that helps us connect more deeply to ourselves, others, and the world around us. Walking has been shown time and time again to boast some magnificent health benefits. The benefits tend to rise and peak around 10,000 steps per day, but any amount of walking is infinitely better than none. Research studies have demonstrated that regular walking can reduce the risk of heart disease, cancer, dementia, hypertension, and much more. It can also boost mood and mental health, bone density, balance, and aerobic fitness. Walking is great for your brain! Especially when done in new places, walking can promote neuroplasticity, bringing about remodeling in the white matter of our brain. This remodeling can improve memory, spatial awareness, and other higher level cognitive functions. When you combine a regular walking practice with a healthful diet rich in plants, social engagement, high quality sleep, and living true to your ikigai, you have found the fountain of youth.
If walking is so great for us, why aren’t we doing more of it? Many people may face significant barriers when it comes to walking. Some barriers may be environmental. Perhaps not living close to any safe walking areas, but rather an inner city with spotty side walks and heavy traffic. Or, perhaps it’s the weather. Many of us become Goldilocks when it comes to the temperature. Maybe it’s simply a lack of motivation. “I don’t feel like it.” “I don’t have the time.” Most commonly in physical therapy, the barriers are pain, as well as balance or mobility issues. Regardless of the barriers, it is important to become aware of them and address them accordingly.
For many of the barriers, it can be helpful to shift away from an “all or nothing” mindset. Many people feel like if they are going to walk, it has to be a long walk, and it has to be every day. Otherwise, what’s the point? The barriers become too great and instead, we end up not walking at all. A better strategy would be to find the middle ground between the all or nothing. How can I walk today? Can I sneak in five minutes after eating lunch and before my next meeting? Can I park farther away and take the stairs? Can I walk while I talk on the phone or listen to my audiobook? Perhaps if a long daily walk is daunting, set small realistic goals instead.
No matter how short the walk is, finding consistency in a routine is far more important than the actual distance walked. Perfect is the enemy of good.
Significant barriers to a regular walking practice as mentioned previously are challenges with pain, mobility and balance. At the Wellness Station, we can work together to figure out ways to get you walking without being limited by these challenges. Some factors to consider might be frequency and duration of walks, as well as implementing more rest breaks into walking. Or perhaps a mobility device can help take stress off certain joints or improve the ability to maintain balance while walking. Activity modifications can help decrease the barriers to a regular walking practice to help us get moving more regularly and with greater confidence.
Oftentimes, the movement patterns that we have developed can actually be limiting factors to the quality of our gait, which can contribute to pain and dysfunction. We learned how to walk once- we can learn some new ways! Relearning new motor patterns might start with a simple awareness practice.
Consider the following practice, perhaps walking around inside:
As you walk, pay attention to your footstep. Some things to be aware of are… “How do my feet make contact with the ground?” “What is my foot print like on each foot?” “How heavy or light is my step?” “How long is my step length?” “How wide is my step from right to left?” This awareness can be applied to many other aspects of the gait cycle and body parts which may include attention to the knees, pelvis, hips, spine, rib cage, shoulders, and head.
After becoming aware of the way in which you are walking, it is time to explore some changes. There are infinite ways to bring about changes into the mechanics of gait. Here are some examples:
Slow walking. Simply change the speed of your walking to notice what it is like to walk in slow motion
Walking in different directions. What is it like to walk backwards, or from side to side?
Strut like you mean it. Introduce a fluid glide in your hips as you walk, and allow your arms to swing with your opposite leg.
As you explore some variations in your walking, it is important to not play “fix it” with your body. There is no “right” or “wrong” way to walk, simply more options. As body detectives, throughout the therapeutic experience it is our job to find options that are more comfortable, thereby allowing us to sustain a healthy and active lifestyle.
Written by Jacob Tyson, DPT - Physical Therapist, Yoga Instructor and The Wellness Station Team
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