Would you like to try a new way to exercise this summer? It doesn’t require any equipment and proponents report that it:
- speeds up the body’s metabolism
- increases energy levels
- sharpens the senses and mental clarity
- improves coordination & balance
- boosts body consciousness
- adds variety to your training
- strengthens less used leg muscles
- decreases lower back pain
- puts less strain on the knees
- improves sleep
- strengthens the heart
Do you know what it is? BACKWARDS WALKING! I first heard about this a year ago from a good friend and colleague who had suffered a significant knee injury with ligament damage. He started backward walking to rehab his knee and raved about the significant health benefits he experienced.
I started trying it myself and was impressed with what a great workout it was. It worked my leg muscles in a different way than they were used to. It got my heart pumping faster than regular walking, providing a cardio workout with a metabolism boost that burned more calories in a shorter period of time!
Why should you try it? Varying our routine is good for us. Walking backwards will improve your balance and strengthen your core and stabilizing muscles. It takes away the usual heel-strike, requires less range of motion in your joints than walking forwards and changes your pelvic alignment to open joints in your spine – potentially easing off back pain. When you walk backwards, you extend your hamstrings and strengthen muscles in your quads and calves that usually don’t get worked. It will improve your posture!
What should you do? Wear comfortable, supportive shoes. Start by backwards walking for a short period such as 5 minutes. Stand nice and tall as you walk, taking as long a stride as possible and swinging your arms with each step. Build up your walking time to 10 minutes intervals, 4 times a week.
I have “backwards walked” in our neighbourhood with my wife and dog. Jane and I would take turns being the “backward walker”, with the other person walking the dog and monitoring for obstacles like approaching pedestrians or fallen branches on the sidewalk. I have also done it alone. I don’t recommend doing it on a street or sidewalk alone, as you don’t want to be constantly turning around for safety checks, but it is easy to do at a track. Many local schools have an outdoor track, and school is out for summer- so now is the time to try it! I did it last week and the painted lines allow you to monitor where you are on the track so you can tell when the curve is coming up without turning around. You can also do backwards walking on a treadmill. Set the speed at a rate significantly slower than your regular pace and off you go!
Try something new for your fitness this summer and walk back into better health!
*** The picture at the top of this article was taken in the month after it was published. After talking about the benefits of backwards walking in our July newsletter, I injured my Achilles tendon just before our trip to England. Ironically, I found that backwards walking was much more comfortable on my ankle! You have heard of guide dogs? I had a guide daughter…