We usually assume that walking backwards is something that only children do. However, it has been discovered that many adults could benefit from taking a walk in the opposite direction. It may even be healthier than walking forward, according to research.
Walking backwards
Anyone who has tried to do it will know: when you walk backward, it is way harder than walking forward. And that means that you won’t be able to do it on autopilot. Katie Kollath, a personal trainer and co-founder of Barpath Fitness in Golden, Colorado, told EatingWell: “Walking—and doing other motions—backward can be a way to add some locomotion to your training. It can be a new mental and physical challenge if you’ve never tried it before.” Erin Nitschke, a certified personal trainer, ACE health coach, fitness nutrition specialist, therapeutic exercise specialist and health and human performance college professor in Sheridan, Wyoming, explains to Eating Well: “…the body has to work harder than if you were walking naturally.”
Benefits
Some of the benefits that might come with walking backward are:
Strengthening muscles
Better metabolism
Better balance and coordination
Challenges your brain and sharpens it
Less force on your knees
And that is why Nitschke recommends that everybody spends a few minutes walking backwards during warmup and cooldown. If you feel like you have backward walking under control, try some other forms of backward movement. Like shuffling or a reverse bear crawl. Kollath explains: “Moving in different directions—laterally, backward and diagonal—and in different planes is important in all of our fitness routines throughout life.”
Are you walking backward yet?