Walking is a great, natural way to achieve daily physical activity.

10 Walking Mistakes to Avoid

Mistake #1: Over striding

Walking the right way can give you better health, fitness, and attitude. It can help you walk faster and more smoothly.

Walking the wrong way can lead to wasted effort or even injury, not to mention ridicule.

Over striding

When walkers try to walk faster, a natural inclination is to lengthen your stride in front, reaching out further with your forward foot. This leads to a clumsy, ungainly gait, striking hard with the feet. Your shins hurt and you really don't get any faster.

The Cure for Over-striding

All of the power of your walk comes from pushing with the back leg and foot.

Shorter, Quicker Steps: If you are trying to walk fast, concentrate on taking shorter, quicker steps.
Roll Through, Push Off: Then think of really rolling through your step with your back foot and leg, getting a good push off.

The result will be faster feet and lengthening your stride where it does you some good - in back.

#2 The Wrong Shoes

Not all "walking shoes" are good for walking. If this describes your shoes, you are setting yourself up for plantar fascistic, muscle pulls and knee problems:

Heavy: Walking shoes should be lightweight.
Stiff: Soles won't bend, can't twist them. Walking shoes should be flexible so you don't fight them as your foot rolls through the step.
Over 1 year old: The cushioning and support in your shoes degrades, you should replace your shoes every 500 miles.
Too small: Your feet swell when you take a sustained walk. Your walking shoes should be larger than your dress shoes if you walk for 30 minutes or more for exercise.

The Cure for the Wrong Shoes:

Get fit for the right shoes at a technical running shoe store in your area. The athletic shoe experts will make sure you get the right shoe for overpronation, flexible enough for walking, sized right for the swelling everyone's feet have while walking.

#3 Flapping, Slapping Feet

Instead of rolling through the step with your forward foot from heel to toe, your foot is flattening out prematurely. Either you are fighting stiff, heavy shoes or your shins are too weak to let you roll through the step.

Symptoms

Your feet hit the ground with a slap.
You land flat footed with each step and get no roll.
You may develop shin pain.

The Cure for Flapping, Slapping Feet

Get flexible shoes that bend at the ball of the foot. A pair of running shoes with a low heel is best.

To strengthen your shins, ankle, and lower leg:

Toe raises: Stand on a stair facing upstairs with your heels hanging over the edge. Dip the heels down, then raise them high. Repeat 10-20 times.

Foot fun: While sitting around, several times a day, tap your toes quickly for several seconds. Then write the alphabet in the air with your foot. Repeat with the other foot.

Heel walking: As part of your warm-up, walk on your heels for 30 seconds.

#4 No Arms

You keep your arms still at your sides while walking, or swing them without bending them. You notice that your hands swell quite a bit while walking.

A normal walking motion uses the arms to counterbalance the leg motion. A walker can add power and speed by using the arms effectively. Long, straight arms act like a long pendulum, slowing you down.

The cure: Bend your arms 90 degrees and swing them naturally back and forth opposite the leg motion.

#5 Chicken Winging

OK, you know to bend your arms when you walk. But you swing them from side to side, crossing the center of your body and extending out to endanger passersby. Or your fists come up on each swing past your breast, up even to your chin or threatening your nose.

Chicken winging and arm flinging

The cure: Keep your elbows close to your body and swing your arms mostly back and forward, as if reaching for your wallet from a back pocket on the backstroke.

As they come forward, your hands should not cross the center line and should come up no further than your breasts.

This arm motion will give power to your walk. Your feet generally move only as fast as your arms.

This motion lets you concentrate on power from your rear leg without wasting motion in front of your body. It also looks far less silly.

#6 Head Down

You are always looking down, hanging your head and staring at your feet.

The cure: Look up!

Good posture for walking allows you to breathe well and provides a long body line to prevent problems with your back, neck, and shoulders.

Chin up when walking - it should be parallel to the ground.

Your eyes should focus on the street or track 10 - 20 feet ahead. You'll avoid doggy doo-doo, find cracks in the sidewalk, spot potential muggers, and still collect the occasional coin.

Walking Posture

How you hold your body is important to walking comfortably and easily. With good posture, you will be able to breathe easier and you will avoid back pain.

Stand up straight.
Think of being a tall and straight. Do not arch your back.
Do not lean forward or lean back. Leaning puts strain on the back muscles.
Eyes forward, not looking down, rather 20 feet ahead.
Chin up (parallel to the ground). This reduces strain on neck and back.
Shrug once and let your shoulders fall and relax, your shoulders slightly back.
Suck in your stomach.
Tuck in your behind and rotate your hip forward slightly. This will keep you from arching your back.

#7 Leaning

You lean forward more than 5 degrees
You lean back.
You have a sway back with or without a forward lean.

Somewhere you read to lean forward when walking. Or, you may be leaning back on your hips. Leaning forward or backwards or holding your back swayed can all result in back pain and do not contribute to speed or good technique.

The cure: Stand up straight but with relaxed shoulders, chin up and parallel to the ground. Think about walking tall. Think "suck in your gut, tuck in your butt."

Your back should have a natural curve, do not force it into an unnatural sway with behind out back stomach out forward.

Strengthen your abdominal muscles through sit-ups and other exercises so you are able to hold yourself straighter.

#8 The Wrong Clothes

You walk at night wearing dark colored clothing with no reflective stripes or a safety vest.
You are always wearing too much or not enough, end up sweaty and clammy in any weather.
No hat.

The cure: To prevent becoming a hood ornament, wear a mesh reflective safety vest bought at a local biking or running shop or put reflective strips on your night-time walking outfit. Many running shoes have reflective elements, but studies show it is best to have several reflective elements on to be seen from all directions.

For walking comfort, dress in layers. The inner layer should be of a fabric such as CoolMax or polypropylene that will wick sweat away from your body to evaporate - not cotton, which holds it in next to the skin. The next layer should be insulating - a shirt or sweater easily removed if you warm up. The outer layer should be a jacket that is windproof, and waterproof or water-resistant in wet climates.

Hats are essential equipment. They insulate you so you warm up faster. They shield the top of your head from the sun - an area where it is hard to apply sunscreen unless you are bald, but still burns. Hats with visors also shield your face from sun exposure.

#9 Not Drinking Enough

You don't drink enough water before, during, and after walking.

The cure: Drink a glass of water every hour throughout the day to stay hydrated. Ten minutes before your walk, drink a glass of water.

During your walk drink a cup or more of water every 20 minutes.

After you finish, drink a glass or two of water.

Avoid caffeinated beverages before your walk, they cause you to lose fluid, making you thirstier as well as making you take inconvenient stops along the way.

On walks over 2 hours, use an electrolyte-replacement sports drink and drink when thirsty.

On long distance walks, drink when thirsty and be sure to replenish salt with a sports drink rather than drinking only water.

#10 Overtraining

You walk and walk and walk. But you have lost your enthusiasm. You feel tired, irritable. You always have aches and pains. You may be overdoing it.

The cure: Even the Creator rested on the seventh day.

Take a day off now and then to let your body repair, build up muscle, and store up some energy to get you back on the road again.

If you just can't stand a true day off, do some upper body weight training instead of walking and lower body work.

Drinking Water and Sports Drinks

Drinking and walking do go together - as long as the drink is water before, during and after your walk.

Hydration Guidelines for Walkers

Plain Water: For walks of an hour or less, plain water is the best drink.
Add Salt: When your walk is going to be longer than an hour, a sports drink or salty foods such as pretzels can help with water absorption in the body as well as replacement of salt and energy.
Drink Before You Walk: Prepare for your walk by drinking a tall glass of water (17 ounces or 500 mL) 2 hours before your walk. This will allow time for any extra to pass through you body before you hit the trail.
Caffeine: Avoid caffeinated beverages before your walk, they cause you to lose fluid, making you thirstier as well as making you take inconvenient stops along the way.
Salt Before a Long Walk: Before long walks, have a bit of extra salt with your meal or snack so you will have enough sodium to stay in balance.
Plan for More Water: Carry water with you or plan for water stops along the route where you will be able to get a full drink of a cup of water every 20 minutes. A water fountain may not be able to deliver enough water for you to get a full cup.
Drink When Thirsty: Older guidelines said to drink before you are thirsty, but new guidelines by USATF in 2003 for long distance runners and walkers say to use thirst as a guide and to drink when thirsty.
Drinking When Sweating: If you are sweating more than usual, drink more than usual.
High Altitude: You lose even more fluids at high altitudes, in heat and low humidity and need to drink more than usual. Again, let thirst be your guide and drink as soon as thirsty.
Flavor Your Water: Make your water taste good so you will want to drink more. Add a squirt of lemon and keep it cool.
Drinking After Your Walk: After your walk, end with another tall drink of water. After a long walk, do not overdo on plain water, use sports drink and/or salty foods to replenish salts as well
Walking Water Calculator: Find out how much water you should be taking along or drinking from fountains, etc.

Signs of Dehydration

nausea after exercise
dark yellow urine or no urine
dry, sticky mouth
dry eyes

Pure Clean Water

Tap water is perfectly fine for most purposes - in the US and Canada.
Some walkers prefer the taste of filtered or designer water. Be sure to clean and dry single-use bottles before refilling them.
Do not drink water from a lake or stream unless you filter or purify it. In many places there are nasty parasites such as Giardia lamblia and Cryptosporidium in the "unspoiled" mountain streams - because they are in the local squirrels and other animals.

Quest 4 a Perfect Life