Archived here are the week 5 posts from the 2019 Walktober Challenge!
Day 27: Another beautiful thing about walking in nature is the different surfaces I get to interact with. Just a few from today - leaves, logs, and rocks! Have you walked on natural surfaces today?
Day 28: A benefit of taking your walk outside is the variety of temperature. We are often 'fair weather walkers' choosing only the most beautiful and comfortable days for our outside time. However, a vital component of our health is our body's ability to regulate our temperature, an ability we lose when stay always indoors. Our HVAC systems then take the place of our natural processes, which makes any deviation from our indoor climate uncomfortable for us. The solution? Take time to be outdoors every day, regardless of the weather. It moves the micro parts that keep us strong, resilient, adaptable, and well.
Day 29: Can you spread your toes out? It's harder than it looks! But why? Well, most shoes hold your toes together, and we wear shoes A LOT, so after a while we start to lose connection with these little foot muscles. They are little but mighty, however! These interrosei (intrinsic foot muscles) increase nerve function, blood flow, balance and stability in our foot. So let those toes out and have them do some jumping jacks! And then try a little barefoot walking with luxurious toe spread and see how it feels!
Day 30: A lot of people tell me their knees hurt when they walk, or just in general. And if you can relate, have a little look at this. One version of walking uses a lot of up and down 'bounce', while the other is smooth. Can you spot the difference? The bouncy one is using a lot of knees, which we might use is if our quads are our strongest feature. A smooth walk without the bounce needs stronger glutes, lateral hips, and longer hamstrings. All the things we've done in Walktober! And the added benefit is there is far less wear and tear on the knees. So check your walk - are you bouncy or smooth?
Day 31: The Walktober Miming is over, but I hope your Walktober provided lots of outside walking and some useful info and movement to make it even better! Keep checking in and join the mailing list for more movement, and if you want to explore even more, come and see us! Happy Walktober!