Expert Joanna Hall pointed out 4 mistakes when walking was using the wrong muscle group, passing away foot, incorrect head posture and not using hands.
Sports expert Joanna Hall, founder of Walkactive method, lists 4 mistakes when walking, contributing to pain and weight gain, including:
Use the wrong muscle group
If you often have lower back pain after walking, the cause may be the wrong muscle group. According to Hall, many people tend to abuse hips, which were stiff, instead of activating the rear muscle chain, stretching from the back to the calf.
Excessive concentration on the hip folding muscles not only causes muscle imbalance but also makes the foot short, causing the movement to become rigid. Studies also show that this may limit the walking distance. Ms. Hall emphasized: “Although our purpose is good, the wrong way of movement will not be effective.”
Passive foot walking
Walking with flat feet, or “passive ground”, that is, when you walk, your feet touch the ground simultaneously or put all force on the heel, instead of letting the feet move flexibly from heels to the nose.
This is a way that the foot almost does not promote its natural ability: absorbing force, supporting body balance and pushing you forward. This often causes the joints in the feet to work less, puts pressure on the muscles and other joints such as knees or hips, leading to pain, reducing walking efficiency and may falsify posture, how to exercise the whole body.
To overcome walking with a flat foot, practice walking from the heel, changing weight gradually through the soles of the feet and pushing it with your toes. Choose comfortable shoes, feet to support natural movement. Combining flexible enhancement exercises for the foot, such as tiptoe or turning ankle. Sometimes walking barefoot on a soft surface helps activate the natural mechanism of the foot.
Walking in the wrong way can cause pain and weight gain. Image: Pexels
The head posture is not correct
The habit of bowing forward, such as looking at the phone when walking, can seriously affect the movement mechanism. According to Hall, when standing upright, the head weighs about 4.5-5 kg, but when bowed, the pressure on the spine increases significantly, causing stress to the upper back muscles and limiting the ability to rotate the spine.
This posture also reduces the ability to breathe deeply, due to the limited movement of the diaphragm from 10 cm to 3-4 cm, causing the amount of oxygen into the body. This not only affects physical health but also reduces the mental benefits of walking.
On the contrary, keeping your head straight will improve the posture, enhance the ability to rotate the spine and help the body breathe deeper. This also supports the “optical line”, which is the awareness of the surrounding moving objects, helping to reduce stress and anxiety.
No hands moving
If you let your hands go on walking, you have missed the opportunity to activate the whole body. Ms. Hall said that not moving hands will limit the ability to use abdominal muscles and reduce calorie burning efficiency.
When walking quickly, combining hand movement will activate the muscles in both the upper and lower body, helps to enhance the ability to exercise, burn more calories and improve physique.
Walking properly not only brings health benefits but also helps relieve pain and control weight effectively.