Parts 1: Gait improvement
1, warm up. Walk slowly at first, let your body warm up, avoid muscle overwork, and walk longer at a more soothing pace. Walk slowly for 5- 10 minutes at first to warm up your body. Warm-up can relax muscles and prepare for the next exercise. Try to turn your ankle, swing your legs back and forth, slowly draw a circle with your hips or legs, and draw a circle with your arms. Stand still for 30 seconds to warm up your body.
Slow down in the last 5- 10 minutes of walking to help your body cool down. When your body relaxes, gently stretch your muscles.
Proper warm-up can avoid sports injuries, such as muscle strain.
2. Improve your walking posture. Take a step and try to use meaningful actions, and pay attention to your posture. Try to keep a good straight posture and look forward 4-6 meters. Look up when you walk. Don't stare at the ground all the time, lest you strain your neck muscles.
Relax your neck, shoulders and back. Although the walking posture should be stable, the body should not be too stiff.
You can also bend your elbows slightly and swing your arms back and forth. Tighten your abdominal muscles and don't arch your back forward or backward.
3. When walking, the center of gravity rolls from heel to toe. Step forward with one foot, land with the heel in front of the body, and roll the center of gravity forward to the forefoot. Lift the other heel, lift the whole foot off the ground with your big toe, and then repeat the above process. Walking is different from running. Do not leave the ground at the same time.
Find the gait that suits you best. If you can't roll your weight from heel to toe or keep it that way, you may need to slow down.
Expert tips
Monica Morris
ACE certified personal trainer Monica Morris is an American Sports Commission (ACE) certified personal trainer in the San Francisco Bay Area. Monica has more than 15 years of fitness training experience, and founded her own physical training center in 20 17, and obtained the ACE qualification certification. Her training methods focus on proper warm-up, cooling and stretching skills.
Monica Morris
ACE certified personal trainer
Our experts believe that when walking, the heel should land first, then the sole of the foot and finally the toe. So that the foot can drive the whole body forward like a spring.
4. If the muscles behind the hips or thighs are tense, try to straighten your legs. Sedentary people often bend their knees when walking. This usually means that the hip flexors and the muscles at the back of the thigh are too tight. When walking, consciously straighten your legs.
5. Avoid knee hyperextension. Knee hyperextension means that the knee leans backwards when standing or walking. Some people are naturally prone to knee hyperextension, which will increase the pressure on the knee joint. When walking, consciously avoid knee overstretching. Bend your knees slightly when walking, especially if you tend to have excessive knees when standing. It may be strange at first, but eventually the knee will gradually adapt to this position.
Go upstairs carefully and slowly.
Don't wear high heels too often, which will easily lead to knee hyperextension.
6. Take a brisk walk. In order to get the most benefit from walking, you can try to walk faster than walking. Increase walking speed, not duration. Walking is a moderate-intensity aerobic exercise. You should go to your body and sweat slightly, and your heart rate will increase.
How do you know you walk fast enough? You have to go to the point where you can still speak normally but can't sing.
If you want to improve your health, 1 hour walking 5 kilometers is a good speed. If you want to lose weight, you have to walk 6 kilometers at 1 hour, and it takes about 1 km to walk.
7. Get into the habit of walking. Move around as much as possible in daily life. Once the habit is formed, the total number of steps and health will be improved. Choose to walk to work in whole or in part. If you often take the elevator, take the stairs from today. Get up and walk every 30 minutes. Get up and walk for 5 minutes every 30 minutes to relieve the chronic pain caused by sitting in the office. Just doing this can greatly improve the total number of steps in a whole day.
Park your car far away from your destination and force yourself to walk a few more steps. Get into the habit of going out for a walk with family and friends after dinner.
Some people don't have time or spare money to go to the gym, so it's better to walk around the indoor shopping center at lunch time or climb the stairs in the company.
Part II: Develop the habit of walking.
1, step by step. Like other sports, it's easy to give up when you start walking too much, and you may strain your muscles. Be patient and increase the intensity of exercise step by step. Even if walking is a low-impact exercise, it is necessary to give muscles, joints and feet some time to adapt to this new amount of activity to avoid muscle soreness and injury. Remind yourself that walking 8 kilometers can consume about 400 calories to motivate yourself to stick to it.
If you want to lose weight, you'd better reduce your daily calorie intake and choose unprocessed healthy food. When you first started walking, you set a goal of walking 2000 more steps every day. Sometimes just a small change in lifestyle, such as taking the stairs instead of taking the elevator in the company, can increase the number of steps in the whole day.
If you don't lose weight right away, it's probably because your body is building muscles. This is a good thing. Be patient, and you will see the effect slowly. Slowly add more steps every week.
2. Plan to walk 2 1 min every day. If you don't want to walk every day and want to take a few days off every week, then aim to walk for 2.5 hours every week. One advantage of walking is that you don't need any equipment. You can go anywhere, you don't have to give up this sport when you are on vacation, and your physical condition is not high.
When you gradually improve your endurance, you can go further and walk for more than 2.5 hours a week. The standard official recommendation is to do 150 minutes of physical activity every week.
Every source gives different fitness advice, and the only thing in common is persistence. Walking for a few hours every week is good for your health. No matter how you allocate this time, try to increase it to at least 30-45 minutes at a time.
3. Walk almost every day. Persistence is the first secret of many sports forms. It's no use fishing for three days and drying the net for two days. You only go once a month. It is best to cultivate it into a habit. Integrating walking into daily activities, at least several times a week, can obtain many health benefits. Walking can reduce the risk factors of heart disease and stroke.
Walking can reduce the risk of heart disease by 30% and help control diabetes and cancer. Before starting a new sports activity, you'd better ask the doctor, especially if you are ill.
The benefits of regular walking include lowering blood pressure and cholesterol, making your mind more agile and improving your health without spending too much money.
Part 3: Access to appropriate equipment.
1, record the number of steps. Buy a pedometer and record your steps every day. Many smartphones can download free health applications to help you keep track of your daily steps. Plan to walk 1000 steps every day. Most people have taken 3-4 thousand steps just by doing daily activities every day. Therefore, it is not difficult to reach 10000 steps as long as the number of steps is consciously increased. The Centers for Disease Control advises healthy adults to take at least 7-8 thousand steps every day.
10 minutes to walk 1 1000 steps is not difficult. Walk/kloc-0.000 steps every day, which is about 8 kilometers.
Record your steps every day and calculate the average steps every day and every week. Your goal is to improve your endurance. As you walk more and more, gradually increase the number of steps.
2. Buy shoes suitable for walking. Walking is a very cheap sport, but you really need to buy a pair of high-quality shoes. Special walking shoes can be bought online and offline. Running shoes and cross-training shoes are also suitable for walking. A pair of comfortable shoes that can provide enough support is very important for walking. Don't wear shoes that make your feet blister. Shoes must also have good arch pads and soft and thick soles to help absorb shock.
The forefoot of walking shoes should be soft and elastic, but it is still quite durable. Choose low heel shoes.
Except for a few high-top shoes specially designed for walking or hiking, most high-top shoes are not suitable for walking.
3. Wear appropriate clothes. Light and loose clothes will not make you feel tired or rub your skin, so that your body can be fully stretched. Some people choose to wear loose T-shirts or vests and running shoes. Bright colors or reflective tapes can make it easier for passing cars to see you.
Pay attention to sun protection according to the season and climate. Wear sunscreen every day to protect your skin from the sun. You can also wear a sun hat or a baseball cap.
If it is cold or it may rain, you'd better wear a coat. Remember to check the weather forecast before walking and put on appropriate clothes according to the temperature.
4. Pay attention to safety. There are some dangers when walking outside, such as being hit by a car or tripping over obstacles. You must pay attention to your own safety. Pay attention to the traffic when walking, always pay attention to your surroundings, and don't get lost in thought. Walking on the sidewalk. If there is no sidewalk, choose the shoulder facing the oncoming traffic.
Take your ID card, mobile phone and a little change in case you need to use a public phone. It is dangerous to walk at dusk or at night. It is best to wear reflective equipment.
Be careful when wearing headphones, because headphones will block the outside sound and make you unaware of the danger. Consider wearing only one earphone so that you can hear the sound of traffic.
5. Change the place for a walk. Although walking is a very relaxing and enjoyable activity, if you walk the same road alone every day, you will soon get bored. Change the place for a walk from time to time. Try walking in parks, rivers, woodlands and paths.
Choose to walk on a well-maintained road. Avoid cracked sidewalks, potholes or drooping branches that may hurt you. Listening to music while walking can reduce boredom. In addition, the study also shows that walking while listening to music will increase the blood supply to the brain and promote the release of brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF). This hormone can promote the production of new brain cells, and this function becomes very important with age.
Go with other people, such as family, neighbors or friends, to make yourself more motivated. It's not so boring to have someone to chat with you on the way.
6. Walk on the treadmill. If you live in a cold climate or the outdoor environment is unsafe, you can consider using a treadmill. Treadmill can set the speed and slope, making you feel like walking outdoors.
If you can't afford a treadmill, you can walk to the fitness center with it.
Each of the above precautions for outdoor running applies to treadmills, but you don't need to worry about traffic conditions or trip over obstacles on the road.
Tip: Walking can also improve the overall mood. Studies have shown that walking and physical activity can help relieve the symptoms of depression.
Take part in the walking race. If you need to find a reason to force yourself to go out for a walk, you can join a fitness group or a charity competition, which can not only achieve the purpose of fitness, but also contribute to charity.
Change a pair of walking shoes every 800 kilometers. The soles will start to wear out and no longer provide sufficient support.
People who like hiking can buy hiking shoes. Their soles are better and more durable.