Walking the Walk - YouLookFab Forum

I went out for a run walk this morning and thought of a comment a co-worker made to me about half a lifetime ago (mid-twenties as compared to my early 50s now). She commented on how I walked and I realized that the way I walk has changed a lot over the intervening years. I used to have a very loose, energetic way of moving and took long strides and had more swagger - loose limbed perhaps. It is hard to describe but my arms moved more and it felt like there was more flow to the movement. I tried to relax my shoulders and swing my arms more and that caused a loosening in the hips and a bit more movement. I felt younger and somehow more relaxed. It was an interesting observation. I have noticed that my shoulders are often almost aching after a long walk and think I am tense too often possibly from sitting at a desk so much. I am going to try to be more mindful of my stride and create a habit of being more relaxed at least when I am out for my exercise walk.

How about you? Have you noticed a change in how you move as you have aged?

10 years ago

Anonymous

Not in myself, but in my dad! He used to have exactly the kind of walk you described, very energetic, very whole body, and then as he got older and less active it really changed.
It's great that you're walking, paying attention, making these observations, and sharing them. I'm also a walker and I've been noticing that I'm much less flexible than I was so I was thinking about trying some yoga classes or some kind of supervised stretching. Sometimes when I try to set things right myself I end up hurting myself in a different way and that is kind of discouraging.
I'm with you on this!

SandyG

Veteran

Check out an Alexander Technique video for walking. Walking backwards is super fine posture practice (since most people don't have bad habits for this It's astonishing how easy it is to slip into something that feels familiar but leads to biomechanics stress.

Summer

I can relate to the aching shoulders. I've noticed this over the last few years, and, like you, I seem to carry a lot of tension in my neck and shoulders generally. I think the suggestions of yoga and the Alexander Technique would be well worth pursuing - thanks Isabel and SandyG.
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Suz

(website)

I haven't noticed changes in the way I move ... yet. Except for balance. My balance (despite exercises and practice to correct it) is no longer a strength. I'm fine in ordinary activities, but at the gym I notice it.

Carla

Very interesting observation, Cheryl. In the past 3+\- years I've noticed an altered gait, as well. I shuffle a bit, with a limp or hitch favouring the the right side. I've had a prolonged bout of right sided periformis syndrome (sciatica like discomfort). Yoga is helping relieve the discomfort more then anything else I have done. I've been doing it for about 6 months. Now to break the habit of the limp....

My walks are with my dog, every morning for an hour or two. It's about fitness, but about thinking and enjoying the scenery too, so it's a "free" time for me, and not one I'd want to control too much.
While I'm not aware of tension in my walk, I can feel it in my muscles especially after I return home and sit for a while.
Sometimes I have neck pain that I'm feeling on the right side but I'm not convinced that that's the origin of the problem. I've been noticing that my left side is much stiffer than the right, especially in my hips. When I try to stretch standing up, I can get pain later in my back, so I've been lying on the floor and stretching one leg and hip area at a time to kind of equalize the two sides and keep my back out of it.

cheryle (Dianthus)

Thank you for the suggestions Isabel and Sandy. I haven't done yoga in a while but will bring it back in fall.

Carla, interesting that you mention a sciatica type of issue. I had a few months of inactivity last summer due to sciatic nerve pain so perhaps that is a contributing factor.

I went to physio last year and the best thing I found for the sciatic was sitting on a firm foam roller and leaning to one side and rolling the glutes over it for a minute on each side. The issue I had was related to a glute imbalance and this worked within a week or so. It was amazing. Another thing to work into the mix.

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