What benefits do you receive from walking?
A. improved bone density
B. pelvic floor health
C. mental health
D. cardiovascular health
E. digestive health
F. lymphatic flow
G. all of the above
If you answered G you are correct. You may say, “wow all I need to do is walk?”
A note on walking in alignment:
The way you move matters. Proper biomechanics allows for optimal function and flow of blood, lymph and nerve conduction with minimal wear and tear of the tissues. Our muscles and even our bones have adapted to our daily habits and end up influencing how we walk, for better or for worse.
Bone density– Walking with vertical femurs loads the bones in a way that allows for maximum squish (weight bearing) to the neck of the femur (a place where osteoporosis usually occurs). If you lean forward while walking and are not stacked in the vertical plane, your bones register your weight as less than what you actually weigh leading to lower bone density. Of course, there are times when you may lean forward depending on the terrain or what you are doing. But 99% of the time I see people leaning forward in a controlled fall rather than using their muscles to move them forward.
Pelvic floor– When you walk with a posterior push off (using your glutes to move you forward) you exercise the butt and pelvic floor with every step. Keep in mind that to walk with a posterior push off you need to walk with the vertical femurs, have lateral hip strength, and have adequate leg extension. Try Alignment Snacks Stretching The Standing Muscles, Leg Goes Forward, Leg Goes Back and Walk This Way, Stand This Way.
Mental health– Has anyone ever gone for a walk and felt worse afterward? Not that I know of. Walking clears the mind, improves circulation and can bring you into the present moment.
Cardiovascular System- When our muscles are at their ideal length, our heart doesn’t have to work as hard to force blood through tight muscles; our muscles assist in vasodilating our blood vessels so blood is pulled through. Walking increases blood flow throughout the body. Read Katy Bowman’s cardiovascular post here to learn more.
Digestion- Our spleen, liver and stomach meridians run along our legs, when we walk after a meal we aid the flow to these organs. If we sit with a tucked tailbone and shoulders rounded forward we increase the pressure in the abdominal cavity. Cramped quarters leads to bloating, gas and constipation.
Lymph System- The lymphatic system is our major line of defense against invaders such as bacteria, viruses, and other pathogens. Restriction of lymph flow allows debris to accumulate, and tissues become acidic and burdened with toxic wastes. The lymph system is without a pump so it relies on the musculoskeletal system to “milk” the lymph through the body. The reciprocal arm swing helps to move the lymph around the breasts. The breasts have a high concentration of lymph nodes. For the health of the breasts and the rest of the body, it is important to keep the lymphatic system flowing. Muscle movement plays a huge role in optimal lymph flow. Read my breast health post here.
Reproductive Health Walking and other movements cause the uterus to passively follow your movements. “This promotes the natural and healthy mobility of the uterus. Simple inactivity, even without a structural problem, can reduce mobility and thereby predispose parts of the uterus to inflammation or other disorders.”- Dr. Jean-Pierre Barral, D.O.
Tip: Vary the terrain you walk on for additional movement nutrients. Get off the sidewalk when you can. Walk in the parking strip, seek out stones, bark, roots, mud, sand…legos (only for the advanced). 🙂 Transition to a minimalist shoe so you can experience the textures beneath you. I recommend the book Whole Body Barefoot: Transitioning well to minimal footwear, by Katy Bowman, biomechanist.
Want homework? Check out the Alignment Snack “Gotta Get Down to (Arm) Swingtown,” “Balance…with Lateral Hips” and “All Fo the Pelvic Flo.” Alignment Snacks are short recorded classes that you can download and watch at any time you wish.
Recommended books: Movement Matters and Move Your DNA by Katy Bowman.
Great blog! I love the content layout: quick why, how, and then more why, why, why walking is fabulous.
Really informative and useful information.