For most of us, walking is something we do automatically. It doesn’t require much effort, so many of us fail to remember the benefits of walking for health.
Physical activity doesn’t need to be hard. Whether you’re regularly active or not, even a quick ten-minute daily walk can deliver a host of health benefits. But what happens if we stop walking ahead and start challenging our brains and bodies by walking backwards? Not only does this change of direction demand more of our attention, but it may also bring additional health benefits.
One of the most well-studied benefits of walking backwards is improving stability and balance. Walking backwards can improve how a person walks and balance for healthy adults and those with knee problems. Walking backwards causes us to take shorter, more frequent steps, leading to improve the muscles of the lower legs. But the benefits of changing direction aren’t just that—an interest in backwards movement has led researchers to discover various other benefits. While normal walking can help us maintain a healthy weight, walking backwards may be even more effective. Energy expenditure when walking backwards is almost 40 percent higher than walking at the same speed forwards, with one study showing reductions in body fat for women who completed a six-week backwards walk.
Walking backwards is simple, but that doesn’t mean it’s easy. So, how can you add walking backwards into your exercise plan? When walking backwards, we’re more likely to crash into something or fall over, so in the interest of safety, it’s best to start indoors where you won’t crash into someone or outside in a flat, open area. Look over your shoulder. Keep your head and chest upright while reaching back with your big toe(脚趾) for each step, rolling through the foot from toe to heel. Once you become more confident walking backwards, you can begin to speed things up.
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