Celebrate Healthy Living
Try "Retro" Walking
Walking in both directions gives you a great
lower-body workout and promotes balance while adding variety to your fitness
routine. Backward walking, also known as retro walking strengthens your
quadriceps and calves. If you have knee problems, you may find retro walking
beneficial as it puts less strain on and requires less range of motion from
your knee joints.
You
will get many of the same benefits from backward running and will burn
approximately 30 percent more calories than running forward. Backward running
causes less impact on your knees and is considered a safe form of
Start
this activity in a secure location such as an open field, parking lot or a
track that is not busy. This is a good
activity to try with a walking buddy who is moving forward and can alert you to
upcoming dangers. If you try this on a treadmill start slowly to avoid
tripping.
The
goal for retro walking is to alternate these steps with forward walking. You
don’t need to go the whole distance while walking backward. Walk forward, then
balance briefly on the support leg as the swing leg is reversed. Walk backward
for a short time, and then use the same technique to change direction.
One
more thing to consider is that your shoes will wear out more quickly from
backward walking as you land on places not
designed
for high amounts of wear. Use an older pair of shoes at first to see if retro
walking is for you.
Retro
walking is easy to do once you get the hang of it. Don’t worry about speed at
first and just focus on your safety. It will take some time before you feel
comfortable walking backward, as this is a new skill.
Walking in both directions gives you a great
lower-body workout and promotes balance while adding variety to your fitness
routine. Backward walking, also known as retro walking strengthens your
quadriceps and calves. If you have knee problems, you may find retro walking
beneficial as it puts less strain on and requires less range of motion from
your knee joints.
You
will get many of the same benefits from backward running and will burn
approximately 30 percent more calories than running forward. Backward running
causes less impact on your knees and is considered a safe form of
training
that also may improve running skills. Start slow and if you are willing to give retro walking a try, be very cautious obviously,
you don’t have eyes in the back of your head and if you twist your head
constantly, while moving backward, you could develop some structural problems.
Start
this activity in a secure location such as an open field, parking lot or a
track that is not busy. This is a good
activity to try with a walking buddy who is moving forward and can alert you to
upcoming dangers. If you try this on a treadmill start slowly to avoid
tripping.
The
goal for retro walking is to alternate these steps with forward walking. You
don’t need to go the whole distance while walking backward. Walk forward, then
balance briefly on the support leg as the swing leg is reversed. Walk backward
for a short time, and then use the same technique to change direction.
One
more thing to consider is that your shoes will wear out more quickly from
backward walking as you land on places not
designed
for high amounts of wear. Use an older pair of shoes at first to see if retro
walking is for you.
Retro
walking is easy to do once you get the hang of it. Don’t worry about speed at
first and just focus on your safety. It will take some time before you feel
comfortable walking backward, as this is a new skill.
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