Here is a simple way to switch up your walking routine, according to experts: try going backwards.
Taking a brisk walk is an exercise rich in simplicity, and it can have impressive mental and physical benefits: stronger bones and muscles, cardiovascular fitness, and stress relief, to name a few. But like any workout, hoofing it for your health may feel repetitive and even boring after a while.
Backwards walking, also known as retro walking or reverse walking, could add variety and value to an exercise routine when done safely. Turning around not only provides a change of view but also puts different demands on your body.
Janet Dufek, a biomechanist and faculty member at the University of Nevada Las Vegas, in the United States, has researched the mechanics of both walking and landing from jumps to identify ways to prevent injuries and improve physical performance. As a former college basketball player and a regular exerciser, she has also done her fair share of backward walking.
In humans, reverse locomotion can increase hamstring flexibility, strengthen underused muscles and challenge the mind as the body adjusts to a new movement and posture.
“I see a lot of people in my neighbourhood, and they walk, and that’s good,” Dufek says. “But they are still stressing the same elements of their structure over and over again. Walking backwards introduces an element of cross-training, a subtly different activity.”