6 Ways to Make Your Walking Workouts More Effective
Walking for exercise is great because there are no barriers to entry: it’s easy, you can do it almost anywhere, and you don’t need any special equipment. It’s one of the simplest workouts you can do to help your overall well-being, with benefits ranging from increased cardio endurance to a healthier mood.
If you’ve been walking long distances on a regular basis or are just getting started, there are a few form tips to keep in mind when walking that will help you make the most of your steps and keep your safe walking habit going for a lifetime.
INCLUDE A DYNAMIC WARMUP
Before you start walking, do some basic ankle and foot exercises (like toe raises, heel raises, and ankle pushouts) to ensure that you have a
full range of motion for each move. Then, when you begin walking, take 3–5 minutes to warm up by gradually increasing your stride pace and strength.
Helpful hint: At least once a week, devote 3–5 minutes to dynamic, mobility exercises before beginning your stroll.
PRACTICE PROPER POSTURE
Good posture is beneficial all day because it helps digestion, encourages you to breathe more comfortably, and reduces joint pressure. It’s also important to keep in mind when walking to avoid injuries. Walking with a rounded, forward-slumped stance, for example, can put a strain on your joints, cause back pain, and even cause breathing problems and fatigue.
Start with your head and work your way down to your feet for proper walking posture (these four posture checks can help). Keep your head centred over your body (avoid jutting your chin forward, which can cause neck issues), your shoulders slightly back to keep your chest open, and your spine tall with your pelvis under your shoulders (avoid overarching your lower back or tucking your pelvis).
You may also want to practice mildly stimulating your deep abdominal muscles to help strengthen your spine at times. During your stroll, focus on bracing your belly against your back for many brief periods (without disrupting your breathing or spinal or pelvic alignment).
Helpful hint: Take one endurance walk a week and concentrate on your posture. (When performing more intense intervals, uphill or power walks, it’s more difficult to concentrate on your alignment.) You should integrate proper posture into all of your walks as it becomes simpler and more comfortable for you.
STRENGTHEN YOUR STRIDE
The most effective way to walk is with a quick, gentle stride and a heel-to-toe walking movement. Avoid taking too wide a step and note
that increasing your pace or incline too quickly can cause problems with your shins or other body aches and pains, so make sure to ease into your walking routine.
Helpful hint: Try bursts of concentrated stride practice during another walk this week. For 3–5 minutes, walk normally, then devote 1–2 minutes to focusing on your stride. Work your way up to spending more time keeping a heel-to-toe, straight, soft stride as it becomes more comfortable until you are walking the whole time this way.
ACTIVATE WITH ARM SWINGS
Maintain a natural bend in your elbows and swing your arms in opposition to your stepping foot while walking to maintain a natural rhythm. Although it’s important for your arms to move forward and back, don’t overdo it because it might affect your posture.
Helpful hint: During an interval stroll, use arm swings to pick up the pace. Each time you raise your pace during the more intense interval cycle, take advantage of the opportunity to really concentrate on your arm swing pattern.
CROSS-TRAIN WITH UPHILL INTERVALS
In order to help you power uphill, the body naturally shifts. When you walk up the incline, shorten your stride and concentrate on
pressing down into your glutes to assist your thighs. Bending just slightly forward, holding your shoulders back and chest wide, and powering up with your arms while trying not to unnecessarily round or arch your back will help you from straining your back.
Helpful hint: Adding more uphill walking to your daily walking routine is a great way to increase your pace without having to focus on increasing speed or length all of the time. To add a new challenge, try adding an incline interval walk one day a week (or on alternating weeks). If you don’t have access to hills outside, experiment with the incline on a treadmill.
INCORPORATE REGULAR FOOTWORK
It’s important to keep your feet in walking condition if you intend to exercise for your workouts on a regular basis. To remain injury-free and make the most of your walking time, try some (or all) of these exercises before or after a stroll, or on your off days.
Helpful hint: An active rest day is ideal for strengthening your feet and ankles. Spend at least 10–15 minutes strengthening your feet once a week.
THE BOTTOM LINE
Remember that these are supposed to be tools and suggestions to help you get the most out of your walks but focusing too much on your form will detract from the fun. Do your best to keep in touch with your body and alignment while still enjoying the walk itself — the most important goal is to have fun while exercising so you can stick with it long-term. Set a clear goal to increase (and track) your everyday steps to become more productive.
