How many steps did you take today?
For many people, walking is one of the easiest and least impactful ways to get out. form of exercise. All the steps help boost your metabolism and, for some, make you feel less guilty about eating all those holiday cookies.
However, one form of walking offers advantages that traditional forward walking does not. It’s backward walking. This non-traditional move helps strengthen the mind, muscles, and joints.
health benefits
One benefits of walking Conversely, it helps strengthen mind and coordination.
“Challenging your body to walk backwards actually requires a great deal of coordination and effort, and demands your brain to do things you’re not used to,” McNamara said.
He noted how rehabilitation exercises, including walking backwards, can help recover stroke victims who are relearning how to walk. This allows them to strengthen their coordination skills and improve in the less difficult form of walking forward.
Another benefit of walking backwards is strengthening muscles and joints.
According to McNamara, taking a step back tends to work two of the four major thigh muscles a little harder than taking a step forward. Little by little, these two muscles are working, making you a little stronger, stabilizing your knee, and taking the pressure off your knee.
This can mean a better quality of life and less pain for people suffering from knee osteoarthritis.
Walking backwards also burns more calories.
This is because walking backwards works muscle groups that aren’t normally used when walking forward. It also involves doing shorter strides and more strides instead of long strides when walking forward. More muscles are also activated to keep you upright and prevent falls.
Walking backwards leads to more energy expenditure, but McNamara warns that it may not be the best exercise choice for weight management. He said it would be better suited.
Best way to walk backwards.
However, instead of walking backwards for long periods of time, he recommended that people spend less time walking backwards and drag something while walking to create resistance.
He pointed out how athletes such as NFL players do strength training by weighing a sled drag and pulling it as they walk backwards. This resistance he training is a standard exercise for many teams.
