Walking is probably the single best activity we can adopt to both maintain the health of our joints and tip the balance with weightloss.
Whenever someone has stalled out with their diet, I advise at least 10,000-15,000 per day. And when someone comes to me with (insert pain or soreness here), I recommend at least the same if not more.
My Mom is a good example of someone who I have watched lose weight, get off blood pressure meds and become healthier/more resilient simply by increasing her steps. After she retired, she began walking 20-30,000 steps per day and had returned to her high school weight six months.
The problem that we sometimes encounter however is shoulder, knee or back pain on one side versus the other. Often, we have trouble shifting weight from one side to the other and literally get stuck more so on one side than the other.
Much like squeezing one side of a garden hose, this causes pressure to build up in one area and ultimately leads to more gravity on the left or the right side. This not only impacts pain when we walk or run, but also how we stand, sit, etc.
What I recommend for all my clients is a 30-45 minute of reciprocal activity (walk, bike, run, elliptical, stair stepper) at least three times per week.
In this week’s article, I cover a simple warm up that will eliminate the pain you experience when you move, stand or sit by helping you to move better from side to side.