How you should really be walking to improve your fitness – and it’s not about how many steps you’re taking

WE’RE constantly told that walking is great for health, so if you already go for a stroll every day, you’re on the right track.

But when was the last time you actually thought about your technique?

Sonja Horsman

People hunched over their phones in the street or shuffling about in unsupportive shoes are common sights.

However, if you want to improve your fitness, it’s not about quantity of steps but the quality and speed of them.

A University of Leicester study showed that brisk walkers, hitting 100 steps a minute, had a longer life expectancy than those who dawdled at 50 steps a minute, irrespective of how much they weigh.

Sports scientist and fitness guru Joanna Hall devised the exercise plan WalkActive, which has been scientifically shown to increase walking speed by up to 24 per cent.

She tells Sun on Sunday Health: “We all walk every day but that doesn’t mean it’s getting you fit because most of us could have much better technique.

“The key is to increase your pace by taking longer strides and improving your posture, stability and core strength.

“Once you have learnt the building blocks, then you can improve your body shape as well as knee and hip alignment, reducing impact on joints, toning the arms, tightening lower abdominal muscles and trimming your torso.

“And your bottom will start to lift and tighten.

Longer lives

“Combating poor posture, especially slumped shoulders and a rounded back, reduces tension and helps mobility, which helps when standing and sitting too.”

Hilary Mines, founder of charity walking app trundl, agrees.

She says: “Adding a walk to your day can contribute towards life expectancy.

“People who exercise in ways that we’ve evolved naturally to move, live longer, healthier lives.

“It’s quite literally just what the doctor ordered.”

Here, we reveal how to get the most out of your walk . . . 

Sonja Horsman

ANY NUMBER HAS A BENEFIT

THE 10K MYTH

IT’S likely you’ve heard of the “10,000 steps per day” goal peddled by fitness enthusiasts worldwide, but it comes from a marketing campaign for a pedometer.

Additional steps, regardless of how many, are beneficial to health and will improve your lifespan.

A Polish study found that walking just 4,000 steps a day is enough to slash your risk of an early death, and another by Cambridge University showed that 11 minutes of brisk walking each day is linked with 23 per cent lower odds of early death.

Joanna says: “It’s not about quantity. If you are walking properly, you can walk 5,000 steps in less than 50 minutes, which is faster than some people run.

“The result is also a trimmer waist, plus toned arms and legs.”

‘I was doing it wrong and leading with my nose’ 

I THOUGHT I’d mastered walking by the age of about 18 months, but I’ve been doing it wrong.

I spent too much time looking at my phone, didn’t use my hip flexors and led with my nose, which causes problems with the spine and makes it harder to take deep breaths.

After following Joanna’s programme, I ended up walking faster than I’d normally run. I was sweating within minutes.

Now I try to walk this way every day, but I need to remind myself to think about the techniques, rather than simply rushing from A to B.

It has definitely helped to tone up my arms and has given me a daily workout that I can do anywhere.

For more information, go to walk-active.com.

TIPS TO IMPROVE TECHNIQUE

1. Start on level ground with your feet hip-width apart and take a large step back until you feel a stretch on the back calf.
2. Point your back foot. There should be an opening of your ankle and a stretch down the front of your thigh and hip.
3. Ease your heel back down towards the ground but keep the heel pad slightly off the floor.
4. Slowly peel through the back foot until you come to the pivot point between the pad of your foot and your toes. Hold it – this is the position you are trying to achieve with each step.
5. Tighten your abs by drawing the stomach upwards and inwards but don’t tense it completely. Your bottom should be fully relaxed and the torso long.
6. Imagine you have a glass of water balanced on each hip, being lifted and balanced as you walk.
7. Lengthen the space between ear lobes and shoulders by relaxing the shoulders down, looking up and forward, and not tensing the neck.
8. Have a small bend at the elbow and use a fluid arm movement backwards and forwards to increase mobility in the upper back.
9. Don’t clench your fists tightly or use a mechanical “power walking” arm movement. Lead with your elbow on the back swing.
10. Try to imagine you are walking away from something, with the emphasis on the back foot, rather than aiming towards a particular point.