STEP BY STEP

In our grandparents’ day it was common for most people to walk a lot as they carried out their daily activities. Today we have become quite sedentary. We spend a lot more time sitting and standing and much less time moving. For the sake of our good health we must now make a conscious effort to keep moving. These days, the average person only takes 2,000 steps per day. We should be taking 10, 000 to 20,000 steps each and every day.

A pedometer is an inexpensive tool that lets us track how active we are. It clips onto your belt, pant or skirt top; and if we have worn it all day it will tell us how many steps we’ve taken. Why not set a goal this month to add 500 steps to our daily count? Once you have kept that up that on a regular basis, you can increase your goal by another 500 steps per day. Keep going in this fashion and you will soon reach the optimum level of at least 10,000 steps per day.

Some simple ways to add steps to your day: taking the stairs instead of the elevator; parking further away from work and walking that much further back to your car; walking around the block one more time, and so on...

In order to make the most of your walking, here are some tips for better form: To get your body into a better posture, try this: Shrug your shoulders once and then let them fall into a comfortable position. Walk tall: try not to lean forward, nor arch your back.

Start with your heel first, roll through the step, and end by giving a good push off with the back foot.

Keeping your arms bent at 90 degrees helps to create a pendulum motion as you speed up your walking. Arm speed determines leg speed.

Look about twenty feet in front of you to set your sight on where you are going, keeping your eyes forward. Further reduce the strain on your neck and back by keeping your chin parallel to the ground.