Hi everyone,

“Walking is the worst-kept secret,” writes actor and author Andrew McCarthy in a guest essay for New York Times.

I couldn’t agree more.

• 💭 Want to think more clearly? Go for a walk.

• 🦵 Want a full body low-impact workout? Go for a walk.

• 🐦 Want to see a cool bird? Get binoculars and go for that walk. 

Equally important—if not more important than going for the walk–is walking correctly.

Improper alignment or walking technique can make your walks less effective, and the downstream effects can impact every aspect of health, from the lungs to the heart and chronic pain.

FITNESS

Longevity benefits of walking

Just ten minutes of vigorous walking can reduce depression and anxiety, and improve mood, according to Wendy Suzuki, a professor of neural science and psychology at New York University, in an interview with NPR.

• In one study, researchers found that adults aged 65 and older who walk 3 days a week can reduce their risk of dementia by 30% in 5 years, Suzuki adds. 

In addition to its mood and cognition benefits, walking can help reduce body fat and prevent heart disease, stroke, high blood pressure, cancer and type 2 diabetes, Mayo Clinic writes.

Walking also boosts cardiovascular fitness, balance and strength, muscle endurance, memory, sleep, and immune health.

Yet despite these many benefits, most people walk inefficiently and in a manner that leads to different problems.

So this begs the question…

How do we get it wrong?

There are four primary mistakes we make when we walk, according to sports scientist and WalkActive founder Joanna Hall in an interview with TechRadar.

• Relying too much on the hip flexors 

• Walking with a flat foot

• Poor head posture (especially important!)

• Actively swinging the arms

Let’s dive into these common walking mistakes and the simple, accessible solutions that will keep you walking until 100.

Mistake 1: Relying too much on the hip flexors 

The typical walker relies too much on their hip flexors—a group of muscles in front of the hips which allows them to bend—and this prevents proper engagement of the glutes and hamstrings.

• Our hip flexors may weaken from sitting all day—this can impact walking form, increase risk of lower back pain, shorten the hip flexors, and contribute to knee problems, Hall says.

🦵 Solution: Learn to engage the glutes and hamstrings while walking.

Here’s an exercise that Hall teaches to boost glute and hamstring engagement:

1. Pretend you have a post-it note stuck to the sole of the shoe. 

2. Pretend the post-it note has a message on it.

3. As you walk, allow your back foot to linger very slightly behind you–if someone were standing behind you, they would be able to quickly read the post-it note.

*Look at picture above for reference.

You can also promote hip flexor health with daily stretching. Good hip flexor stretches include:

• Half-kneeling hip flexor stretch

• 90/90 stretch

• Supine hip flexor stretch

• Side-lying hip flexor stretch

Find instructions here.

Mistake 2: The thud (Walking with a flat foot)

When the foot loses range of motion and becomes stiff, people may substitute proper walking motion (heel-to-toe) steps for a single-unit step, Hall says. 

In other words, people land on the entire foot with every step.

• This walking motion puts pressure on the knees and limits the knee’s range of motion over time.

👣 Solution: Roll the foot from heel to toe, says Alysia Bebel, a barre instructor and former dancer, in EatingWell.

• Land heel-first, then progressively allow the arch, ball of the foot, and toes to hit the ground. 

• On your next stride, push off the ball of the back foot and leave it on the ground for a shade longer than you normally would.

In addition, aim to keep the feet hip-width apart (hip-width from the front of the hip bone, NOT skin) when you walk heel-to-toe.

• “Think of aligning your second toe with your ankle, up to your knee and then the bony front part of your hip,” Bebel says.

Mistake 3: Leaning your head forward

When the head leans forward, the back loses rotational movement and the shoulders become stiff, Hall explains. 

A stiff shoulder girdle (the girdle includes the clavicle and scapula) creates rounded forward posture and significantly limits diaphragmatic expansion.

• The diaphragm is supposed to expand approximately 10 cm every time you take a breath, Hall says.

• Slouching reduces diaphragmatic expansion by more than half (4 cm).

Diaphragmatic expansion is linked with optimal lung capacity, and lung capacity is the primary determinant of longevity, according to James Nester, journalist and author of Breath: The New Science of a Lost Art.

Thus, poor diaphragmatic expansion can shrink lung capacity over time and directly impact healthy lifespan.

🙇 Solution: Combat slumped posture!

This can be as simple as walking with the shoulders pushed down and back and head held high.

The goal: maximize the distance between the shoulders and head.

• Imagine a straight line between the shoulders and earlobe, Hall says.

In a similar manner, looking forward trains your body to stay upright.

• Bebel recommends keeping the chin up and focusing your attention on an object 10 feet in front of you.

Mistake 4: Forcibly swinging your arms

People forcibly swing their arms to boost momentum on a walk, according to a 2014 study in the Journal of Experimental Biology.

• Arm swinging is not meant to be forced—it’s a natural response to counter hip motion and promote balance.

Using the arms for momentum can also cause shoulder, back, neck, hip, and knee pain, says Matt Hsu, a corrective exercise specialist and the founder of Upright Health, in an educational YouTube video.

💪 Solution: Let them swing freely, Hall says. 

“Don’t put in extra effort to swing some extra amount that you think is necessary,” Hsu adds.

• The swings should be small—only a few degrees, he adds.

• It might feel awkward because you’re not used to it, and that’s okay.

TIP

Healthy breathing

Good posture promotes full diaphragmatic expansion, but you can also practice engaging the diaphragm.

A simple exercise to promote engaged diaphragmatic breathing:

• Gently squeeze your side abdominals, right below the ribcage.

• When inhaling, attune the breathe to these side abdominals/low ribcage—both should expand slightly laterally, and the breath will move your hands slightly outwards ←🫱🫲→.

• On the exhale, the side abs (and your hands) should move slightly inward again →🫱🫲←.

Focus on slowing the rate of this breath.

Slow breathing is associated with longevity, and it stimulates the parasympathetic nervous system.

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🔔 Catch up on last week’s newsletter

Researchers are using the “happy hormone” dopamine to treat Alzheimer’s.

We can’t wait to cover more trending topics in longevity in our next newsletter. Stay tuned.

-Erin

Longevity Media LLC

Be your own expert. Optimize your health. Look beyond conventional.

Always seek the advice of a physician or other qualified health care professional before starting any exercise, wellness, or health program. Nothing in our content, products or services should be considered, or used as a substitute for, medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Livelong is a media company and not a medical provid