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Walking Consciously For Health

Healthy walking is more complex than you think

By Dean GeePublished 2 years ago 3 min read
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Walking Consciously For Health
Photo by Jad Limcaco on Unsplash

I need to teach you to walk. No seriously, you may have been walking since you were a year old or younger for those of us who were turbo charged toddlers.

Walking is one of the best exercises and stress reducers, unless of course you are one of those walker athletes that competes in the Olympics, talk about stress, it amazes and amuses me that people can walk so fast, have you seen them ‘get their wiggle on?’

Then there are those power walkers who sometimes even walk holding dumbbells… respect. I am not really speaking to these super athletes with this article but more to just the average walker, like myself, I walk for health and to de-stress.

Now that is out of the way. Are you walking consciously and increasing your health while walking?

Research reveals three common mistakes when walking, and of course the first one, I am sure most of you would have guessed, is posture, more relevant today than ever with everyone walking with their eyes glued to their smart phones. Look up people, get your nose out of your phone, make eye contact, greet others, check out the real world!

Posture

Most of us sit in a hunched over position on computer screens al day, so when you get up from sitting staring at your screen, physically and consciously re-align your head and position it over your shoulders. Then elongate your spine, stretch out that crumpled mess of vertebrae that you starved of oxygen while you slumped over in your chair. Take about 30 seconds to stretch and align yourself.

Then make sure that you use your whole foot when stepping, roll from the heel and roll over to the toes, and make sure all five toes contact the ground when you walk, this will give you the best opportunity to reduce joint pain, particularly knee and ankle. So concentrate on using the entire surface of your foot, and all your toes, all five unless you are like a friend of mine who cut off one of his by mowing the lawn barefoot. Not a good idea, but I digress.

Breathing

The next lesson from research is breathing, nasal breathing is far better when walking than mouth breathing, also you look better than breathing through the mouth, but aesthetics aside, nose breathing allows us to tap into the filtration system that our noses have built in. Nose breathing also delivered greater amounts of nitric oxide to the joints and cells, and has also has the added benefit of increasing circulation. Nose breathing also delivers more oxygen to our cells. Our mouths do not have the filters and if we are walking around and breathing in city air, you don’t want those particles entering your lungs unfiltered.

Listening

The third lesson from research is listening, yes you heard me listening, are you listening? Jokes aside, natural sounds like running water or birds singing, are better for relaxation and refreshing of the mind and the soul.

Birdsong sounds was most relaxing, according to the researchers. People recorded a 30% increase in stress reduction. If you are able to walk in a park or green area with trees and birds, that will benefit you. However, I would like to wager that they hadn’t walked past a flock of cockatoos sitting in a tree squawking. Or perhaps they haven’t heard Indian Mynahs with their loud and incessant screeching, like we get here in Australia. Pleasant chirping and cheeping of birds is the most relaxing, but I challenge the researchers to try their luck here in Australia.

Using a pre-recorded soundtrack of nature sounds does not work as well as the real thing. If you are in a busy city and walking on the city streets, then listening to something more relaxing like some chilled music can also assist to keep the stresses of the day at bay.

Remember, these are the three simple steps to getting the best health benefits from walking.

Posture-alignment and stretching out

Breathing-nasal rather than mouth

Listen-choose wisely what you listen to, and try to find natural spaces.

Thank you for reading and let me know if you have anything to add?

fitness
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About the Creator

Dean Gee

Inquisitive Questioner, Creative Ideas person. Marketing Director. I love to write about life and nutrition, and navigating the corporate world.

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