You are now making progress. You should be getting into your stride and a good walking rhythm and you should be starting to see the pounds fall away. This week you are going to gradually increase your daily walking time from 30 to 40 minutes and you are going to think about the way you walk-your posture, stride length, heel-toe motion and breathing. You are going to think tall and walk tall and note how your body feels in contact with the ground. You are going to feel the rhythm in your feet, calves, things, arms and shoulders. And you’re going to let go- and relax.
Posture Perfect
Walk straight.
Aesop’s Fables, 6ooBC
As you walk along the road look at other people. Notice how many are slouched, their shoulders hunched and rounded. Notice how many have their heads down, seeming to move almost in a world of their own, unaware of others. They seem to shuffle rather than walk. What does this suggest to you?
Now look at yourself. The way that you walk says a lot about you to other people and it tells you a lot about yourself. So think about your posture and walk naturally. Good posture helps you tone your body; it improves oxygen and blood circulation; and it helps to prevent injuries, particularly as you start to walk faster than normal.
Good posture helps you more alert and in command of the situation. And you will feel more positive and have more energy to get where you are going. Good posture gives you can walk for longer without tiring.
Here are some posture pointers and sense of balance and niques:
o WALK TALL- As you step out, your back should be straight and the weight of your body should be slightly in front of your ankles, not back on your heels. Pull in your stomach and flatten the small of your back by tucking in your buttocks under your spine-the pelvic tilt. Walk tall with your head level and eyes focused straight ahead (not looking down). Your shoulders should be level and relaxed.
o LAND ON YOUR HEELS, PUSH OFF YOUR TOES- As you walk, push off with tha ball and toes of your back foot and land in the middle of your front heel; then continue with a heel-toe rolling motion. This motion holds and supports your whole body. You walk tall from your heels upwards-the Chinese say that ‘the true man breathes with his heels’.
o MAKE YOUR STRIDE LONG- Take the longest stride that is comfortable, leading with your hips, letting your arms swing naturally in opposition to your legs (right arm forward with left leg), and keeping your elbows close in to your sides. If you relax your shoulders, then your arms will swing by themselves, finding their own natural rhythm. As you walk faster, you will find that your arms bend naturally and quicken up to keep pace with your legs. Your hands should be softly closed, not clenched and tensed. Striding will loosen your hips, making them more flexible and it will tighten your lower abdominal muscles, giving you a stronger, flatter stomach. Think hips and tight-fat goodbye!
o YOUR WALKING CENTER- Imagine a straight line going down the road between the centre of your feet and stretching ahead of you,This represents your walking center. Keep your legs parallel to this line and your toes pointed ahead and walk with your normal stride. Regular, rhythmic walking in this way can have a bene-ficial psychological and meditational effect upon you, and help you to center yourself within your own personal space.
BREATHE NATURALLY- As you increase pace, breathe naturally and inhale and exhale rhythmically through the nose. Try abdominal breathing. This is used by singers, meditators and athletes and can double the volume of air you inhale with each breath. To breathe deeply, inhale by first moving your abdomen outwards. You will feel your stomach rise, Then breath out by letting your stomach relax. Take one breath one per breath per step, or as you walk faster, one breath every two steps.
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