Wonders of Walking Blog

We will be experience 90 minutes more of daylight by March 31st.

Walking is our default gait. Most often little thought is given to 'how am I walking?'

I  observe people walking when I am out and about, seeing new clients or training groups. I keep circling back to movement patterning: the lack of posture and body awareness. As many of you know, I believe in returning to basics. So this tip suggests you stand in front of a mirror and take inventory of your posture. 

Stand in front of a mirror. Is your head level, shoulders even, are you hands parallel to your side or do you see more of the back of your hand; can you tell if your hips are level? Turn to your right side then left. Watch people when out and about. What feels 'normal' may not be correctly aligned. When seated, are you sitting upright, on your 'sits' bones? 
Common variations:

• Head chasing or Turtle neck. The head weighs 8 - 10#. When jutting forward that puts increased tension on your neck and upper back. Periodically place your index finger on your chin, and pull chin away from finger.  
• Watching the ground. This puts same pressure but also contributes to shallow breathing. Try it. Look to the ground, take a deep breath through your nose; now, look up taking a deep breath. Do you feel the difference?  
• Inward rolling shoulders. This is the rounding which occurs from being seated in front of a computer. Seated or standing do shoulder rolls -lift, roll to rear, pull down. 
• Hip chasing or leaning back at waist, become a habit often for women when wearing elevated heels; a response to having increased stomach mass; losing weight it is now a habit. Stand next to a wall -- feet 2 inches from wall.  Beginning with your head align your body with the wall. What do you notice? Sometimes people feel like they are falling forward as they counter the leaning back from the waist.

What do you notice?