We’re all aware of the myriad ways walking boosts health and happiness – but did you know walking backwards tunes up for your gait, balance, joints and more?
Inspiration should you need it – one famous example of backward walking from Stanley Kubrick’s The Shining. We trust you won’t be doing it to hide where you went from a terrifying baddie.
Recent scientific studies found short periods of backwards walking effectively ‘force refreshes’ our visual, vestibular and proprioceptive systems (the suite of sensors which enable us to walk), leading to improvements in forward stability, gait and balance.
Backwards walkers also take smaller, more frequent steps, boosting the muscle endurance of the lower legs, reducing the burden on joints and altering the range of motion, which can relieve conditions such as plantar fasciitis and knee pain. Spells of walking backwards also force us to use more of the muscles supporting our lumbar spine, warding off lower back pain.
It’s slimming too, consuming 40% more calories than walking at the same speed forwards. But perhaps most significantly as we age, walking backwards for 5-10 minutes a few times a week reduces the risk we’ll fall at any time – and according to the WHO that’s the leading cause of injury and death in over-65s.
