How to walk correctly

Walking is a normal and common thing for everyone. Taking more walks every day is good for your health. But sometimes we often hear news about injuries or illnesses caused by incorrect walking methods. Many people would say, isn’t it just walking, what a simple thing? But do you know that incorrect walking methods or movements can also cause damage to our joints and tendons? So what is the correct way to walk? Let’s find out below.

Wrong walking posture:

1. Hunching the chest and lowering the head: This posture is most likely to cause fatigue and will affect the cardiopulmonary function.

2. Inward-turned feet: It is easy to cause more pressure to accumulate on the outside of the feet, which will form O-shaped legs in the long run.

3. Standing with feet turned outward: damages the knee joints and accelerates joint degeneration.

4. Dragging the ground with the soles of the feet: This walking posture has poor cushioning and can easily cause strain on the joints and arches of the feet.

5. Taking too big steps can easily strain the ligaments on the inner thigh and cause cramps in the feet.

The correct way to walk:

1. Upper body stretch

Keep your upper body straight, chin forward, head high, and shoulders back. In this way, the spine is straightened and the abdomen rises and falls slightly when you breathe gently.

First, stick out your chin, lift your head, and feel full of energy. Next, pull your shoulders back so that your lungs can take in more air.

It should be pointed out that even if the shoulders are pulled backwards, do not intentionally pull them backwards with force, but let them pull backwards naturally. After the spine is straightened, the posture of the whole body can be adjusted and the body can be kept stable. No matter how hard you walk, you should adopt this posture. When you breathe gently, your abdomen rises and falls slightly.

Last but not least, when walking, you should feel your chest and waist are slightly lifted forward. This helps you take longer steps and gives your legs a feeling of bouncing back from behind. This posture looks cool when walking and is easy to maintain.

2. Straighten your knees

Spreading your knees does not mean being stiff or inflexible, but rather allowing you to walk with your knees straight without any force. The knees straightened and the strides became longer. You must straighten your knees when taking long steps. As for how big your stride should be, it should be what makes you feel comfortable.

There's a trick to straightening your knees. When walking with your knees straight, your upper body leans slightly forward, as if you are about to fall down. Push with your hind leg so that the knee of your front leg will naturally straighten and your steps will be bigger. In addition, when the front foot steps forward, the waist on the same side also seems to move forward, and the waist and legs must coordinate effectively.

3. Step forward

Stretch your upper body, straighten your knees, and walk with your feet moving forward naturally. The key in this process is to keep the hind leg straight. Straighten your legs and knees, and step your front foot naturally forward.

Step your front foot straight forward, with the inside footprint of your foot forming a straight line. People generally feel that the toes are pointed outward to some extent. Sometimes, in pursuit of speed, it is necessary to flick the points outwards. Some people also turn their toes outward when walking slowly, commonly known as "splayed feet", which makes walking more stable.

There is a certain relationship between the action of the front foot stepping forward and the shifting of the center of gravity of the back foot. When the heel touches the ground, the center of gravity of the body rolls on the entire sole of the foot, moving from the heel to the toes. The back foot kicks out with the first, second and third toes as the center, forming the action of the front foot stepping forward. The rest of the foot acts as an elastic force, making walking smooth and fluid. If you take bigger steps, you will be able to master the technique of walking rhythmically with your head held high and chest out.

4. Swing your arms

Swinging your arms is also very important when walking. You will often see some people walking with their hands in their pockets. This is not the right way to go. When walking like this, your shoulders will be gathered and your walk will appear loose and relaxed.

Whether the arm swing is good or not depends on whether the movements of the hands and feet are synchronized. Because in the action of walking, the hands and feet, or the arms and legs, are closely related.

The movements of the arms and legs are also interrelated. The right foot steps forward and the left hand swings forward. Especially when the knees are straightened and the feet are stepped forward, the arms swing naturally in correspondence with the movement of the feet.

If your legs are wider than your shoulders, your knees will tend to bend. When swinging, it is best if the thumb seems to touch but does not touch the clothes. When the arm swings without any force, the elbow naturally extends and folds.