5 tips to optimise your daily walk

We all know I’m a huge advocate of the ‘daily walk’, inherited from my father who never misses a day walking, and also influenced from the author Paulo Coelho whose most famous line, from his international bestseller The Alchemist, is: "When you want something, all the universe conspires in helping you to achieve it.

Walking is fundamental to human health. It's as essential for our body as breathing and sleeping, but most people aren't thinking about it, or doing it enough.

These are some considerations to add into your daily walk, to enable you to amplify the movement and make sure you’re getting the best out of it for your health and mindset.

1. Posture 

Elongate your spine while you walk, activate your core, and draw down your shoulders. A small cue, easily engaged,  with significant impact such as protecting your joints, improving breathing, and increasing your energy efficiency, along with increased stability and balance.

When you sink into your body, you change your stride lengths, and make it harder on yourself.

However when stretching your fascia (the connective tissue that wraps around your muscles) by standing tall, and activating core muscles, you get more of that "free return" energy. Think of it like pulling back a rubber band: the stretch gives you momentum without extra effort. Slouching robs you of that efficiency.

2. Swing your arms

Sounds funny right, but it provides critical mechanical efficiency;

Saves Energy: Moving your arms reduces the effort required by your torso muscles to resist the rotational forces created by your legs. 

Improves Balance: Your arms act like a tightrope walker's pole, stabilizing your head and smoothing out your body's center of mass. 

Boosts Speed: Pumping your arms serves as a natural accelerator to increase forward momentum and achieve a faster walking pace. 

Protects the Spine: The natural counter-rotation between your upper torso and lower pelvis mobilizes the spine, keeping back muscles active and healthy. 

Supports Joint Mobility: The regular, pendulum-like motion lubricates the complex shoulder joints through a gentle, continuous range of movement. 

Aids Lymphatic Flow: The rhythmic upper body movement stimulates the lymphatic system, which relies on muscle contraction to pump fluid and support your immune health.

3. Heel first

Stepping heel-first when walking makes human locomotion significantly more energy-efficient and stable compared to landing on the toes or midfoot.

Unlike running, you want your walking gait to have a heel strike. By lightly graze your heel on the ground, you instinctively bring your foot close to your center of mass, which also helps you land more softly. This soft heel contact initiates pronation, the natural inward roll of your foot that begins the shock absorption process. This creates a chain of positive effects throughout your body, but it only works when you're not overstriding.

4. Walk at a brisk pace

One of the easiest ways to enjoy a cardio workout is to walk at a brisk pace. This has numerous benefits including lowering your blood pressure and cutting the risk of heart disease.

Also, calorie burn!  Increasing your heart rate to burn more calories and support weight loss.

Stronger Muscles: Building strength in your legs, calves, and glutes.

Bone Density: Placing healthy stress on your bones to keep them strong and prevent loss as you age.

Mental Well-Being: A brisk walk releases natural brain chemicals called endorphins which lower stress and boost your mood. 

Sounds great to me!

5. A 15 minute walk after a meal

One of my favourite things to do! A 15-minute walk after a meal helps lower blood sugar spikes, improves digestion, and boosts overall metabolic health.

Better Blood Sugar Control: Gentle movement prompts your muscles to absorb glucose from the bloodstream, preventing the sharp sugar spikes that typically occur after eating. 

Improved Digestion: Physical activity stimulates your stomach and intestines, helping food move smoothly and reducing uncomfortable bloating, gas, or acid reflux.

Cardiovascular Support: Regular post-meal movement helps regulate blood pressure, improves circulation, and strengthens heart health over time. 

Energy and Mood: A short walk triggers the release of feel-good hormones like endorphins and dopamine while preventing the post-meal sluggishness known as a food coma.

Get walking!