Daily exercise is recommended for anyone who wants to maintain a healthy lifestyle. However, as the effects of time start to manifest signs of ageing, a simple task such as walking can become a lot more challenging. This is especially true if you’re just trying to keep up with your friends and loved ones. AARP has put together five tips which you can deploy to put a spring back in your step and speed up your walking:
- Take Shorter Strides: It’s a common misconception carried by many people that in order for one to walk faster they have to try and take longer strides. This can actually have the opposite effect to the one intended. When taking bigger strides, the landing of your front foot due to it being in an outstretched position slows you down by acting like a brake. Do a simple exercise of taking shorter strides and you’ll realise that you’ll walk a bit faster.
- Put your toes into the push-off: This is a trick often used by athletes whose sporting code has them gaining a competitive advantage if they possess a little bit of extra speed. What you do is push off your toes when you take a step, this as opposed to pushing off with your back foot as is the norm. What this simple action does is it gives you a boost which is carried into the next step you take.
- Maintain good posture: Work at avoiding the slouch. Your pace can be quickened quite effectively by just holding your head high and keeping your body as straight as you possibly can.
- Bend your arms: Momentum can be increased by simply ensuring to keep your arms bent while you swing them back and forth. This compacts your motion and thus increases your momentum.
- Use your core muscles and glutes: As part of your walking motion, engage your core muscles and squeeze your glutes. You’ll be killing two birds with one stone as a result, helping you walk faster while at the same time strengthening your muscles.
Your doctor should always be consulted prior to making changes to your exercise routine.
Source:Acorn Stairlifts