woman&home is gearing up for a 5km stint in the Avon Justine iThemba Walkathon on 25 October. Get fit alongside us, by checking out our walk-your-way to health guide featuring daily tips over the month of October!
Get your walking style down with our 4 quick tips…
Because walking is something that comes naturally, we generally don’t consider our “technique”. But, just like any other type of workout, if you’re doing it wrong, you can strain your muscles, and waste a lot of energy unnecessarily, too.
With these 4 tips, you’ll be moving more economically in no time:
- Avoid leaning forwards and looking down. Instead, keep your head up, eyes ahead, shoulders back and take shorter steps – you’ll progress quicker!
- Don’t swing your arms across your body. While your arms will help you move better, they should rather swing from your shoulders. Keep your elbows at right angles.
- Don’t lift your arms higher than your shoulders – it’s a real waste of energy. Focus on keeping your elbows tucked in and your arm movements fairly small. Avoid dropping your arms lower than your waist, or raising them higher than your chest.
- Focus on your footwork. Start each step by striking off from the heel, rolling through to your toe, then pushing off. Remember the golden rule, if you want to go faster, take smaller steps, rather than longer ones!
