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If you’re like most people, you probably haven’t put a whole lot of thought into how to walk correctly. It’s one of those things that you kind of just intuitively do. That doesn’t mean, however, that you couldn’t be doing it better, as Bob and Brad, the self-described “most famous physical therapists on the internet” reveal in a new video.
As the pair lays out, there are real benefits to walking correctly. Think: less hip, knee, neck, back, and foot pain—really, all the way up and down the spine. Some people even get headaches while walking because of poor posture.
So where to begin? Bob and Brad say the first rule of walking (much as in running) is to reduce impact. Landing heel first, for example, sends a shock up through the rest of your leg, whereas stepping on the forefoot or midfoot offers more shock absorption. If you’re walking on your heels, one way to step better is to shorten your stride; slightly leaning forward will also help you land on your fore or midfoot. You should feel your glutes engage.
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Posture also matters. You don’t want what they call “the gooseneck,” where your head leans too far forward. Your ears should be in line with your shoulders. Similarly, your arms shouldn’t be hunched in front of you—clasping your hands behind your back and stretching can help correct that bad form. Combined with intermittent chin tucks, it resets your posture.
A counterintuitive bit of advice is that if you’re having back pain while walking, try walking faster. That distributes your weight differently, meaning less of it is on your spine.
Bob and Brad round out the video with a few other miscellaneous tips, and a reminder about some of the benefits of walking (such as increased creativity and overall better well-being). It’s a good reminder that even with the simplest of exercises, it never hurts to ask whether you could be doing them better.
