Core Strength and Stability
Wise walking enables more mobility and less pain. We all walk, but some people always manage to walk more than others. Do you ever wonder why?
When thinking about walking, the first thing that comes to mind is moving the arms and legs. But walking is so much more than that.
A proper walking technique involves almost every part of your body. All the joints in the lower body help you move forward. The core muscles are essential to support the spine allowing the arms and legs to move with ease. Inflexible or weak core muscles may impair how well your legs and arms move, making walking more challenging.
Body stability comes from the core muscles and allows your body to move in many different directions. Engaging in sports, gardening, doing tasks around the house, and even sitting with optimal alignment in a chair requires core strength.
Weak core muscles contribute to poor posture and slouching, increasing the wear and tear on the spine. Optimal alignment and flexibility are essential to breathe deeply, keeps your body healthy, and provides the energy needed to participate in everyday activities.
Proper body alignment is essential to keep your spine healthy and support your head. Aligning the head over the spine not only supports the weight of the head but eliminates excessive stress on the neck and shoulder muscles.
A maximum range of motion to turn your head is essential when walking and participating in leisure activities. When moving in one direction, you might need to look to the side because another person is talking to you, or an object might momentarily distract you. To maintain a much needed range of motion, the head needs to be correctly supported by a healthy, flexible spine.
When the head is forward, as, in a slouching position, the head gets heavier putting more stress and strain on the neck and shoulder muscles. The head of an adult weighs about 7-8 pounds when stacked over the spine. Depending on how far forward the head is, it can weigh as much as 45 pounds. That’s a significant amount of stress on the neck and shoulder muscles. But it’s not just about the neck and shoulders. That stress causes an imbalance down the spine and may lead to back pain.
Suppose you combine that stress from the forward head position with weak core muscles. In that case, the spine is not in optimal alignment and has less flexibility to support the movement, and may cause pain and discomfort in the neck, shoulders, and back.
Effortless walking requires strong core muscles and spine flexibility to move the legs, arms, hips, and shoulders, keeping the body’s center of gravity from moving from the center too far forward or to the side. The result would be a loss of balance.
Bottom Line: Moving with ease requires a strong core and a flexible body to facilitate the complex movement for walking.
Keep on Mov’in!
If you’re interested in support on your wellness journey or would like to know more about my services, send me a message or call (973) 476-8661.
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