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Good posture will make it easier to go the distance. Here are some posture pointers for stronger striding during your next walk.
Tip #1: Stand up tall. Imagine that a wire attached to the crown of your head is gently pulling you upward. Walking erect will keep you moving at a brisker pace.
Tip #2: Keep your eyes on the horizon. This will help you to stand taller and avoid stress on your neck and low back.
Tip #3: Lift your chest and tighten your abs. Using muscles in the front of your body to straighten up will take pressure off your back.
Tip #4: Bend your arms. You’ll be able to swing your arms faster, which helps increase your speed. It also prevents swelling caused from blood pooling in your hands as you walk longer distances.
Tip #5: Relax your shoulders. Your arms will swing more freely, and you’ll avoid upper back and neck tension.
Tip #6: Maintain a neutral pelvis. Don’t tuck your tailbone under or overarch your back.
Tip #7: Keep your front leg straight but not locked. You’ll have a smoother stride and be able to propel yourself forward more easily.
Tip #8: Aim your knees and toes forward. Proper alignment will reduce your chances of injury.
Tip #9: Land on your heel. This facilitates the heel-to-toe walking motion that will carry farther and faster than if your foot slaps down on the ground with each step.
That may seem like a lot to think about, but you don’t have to do it all at once. Start from the top of the list and focus on one tip at a time. Pay attention to this area of your body at the beginning of your walk, and then periodically check about every 15 to 20 minutes (don’t constantly focus on it) to see if you’re maintaining good posture. If not, simply get back in alignment. Do this for about a week and then move onto the next tip. Some changes may happen quickly while others may take some time to become habit.
Remember those 72 stone steps that Sylvester Stallone made famous in the Rocky movies? That image of Rocky reaching the top of the stairs is a great reminder that you don’t need a gym membership or fancy equipment to break a sweat. All you need is a flight of stairs, a good pair of shoes and an “I can do it” mentality.
Often thought of as a workout for athletes, stair running is a great, high-intensity workout that helps build speed, power, agility and cardiovascular fitness. And while running stairs doesn’t require you to be an athlete, it does require hard work.
Getting Started
Although any set of stairs will do, try to find one with at least 30 steps or more; ideally, you should be able to run the stairs for at least six to 12 seconds. Check out the local high school for stadium steps or bleachers or the local park for an outdoor adventure. If the weather does not allow for an outdoor workout, your apartment or office building will surely have a flight or two (or maybe more) that will enable you to give stair running a try.
On the way up, take a slight lean forward, pump the arms and focus on actively extending your leg, pushing off the ball of the foot. Drive your foot down as if you were about to jump up, utilizing all the muscles in the legs to get up to the top.
On the way down, absorb the impact with your glutes instead of your knees. Stadium steps or bleaches often have higher steps than those found in office buildings. If this is the case, descend at an angle instead of walking straight down to minimize the impact on your knees.
Whether you choose a select number of steps or a specific distance, going up to your destination and coming back down to the starting point is called a set. When it comes to work/rest ration, 1:3 is a good rule of thumb. However long it takes you to go up, take 3 times the amount of rest before running the stairs again (e.g., 10 seconds up, 30 seconds to come down; rest before you run back up the stairs).
As your conditioning improves, try out these options to increase the challenge of your workout even further:
Climb more flights or increase the amount of time you climb
Reduce the rest intervals between each set
Increase the sets within the workout.
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