• It engages the backside, front of the thighs, shins, ankles and lesser used muscles in the feet.
• It reduces the forces that go through the knees and lower back, and can alleviate back pain when practised regularly
• It encourages you to stand taller and improve your posture.
• It improves flexibility, especially if you are sedentary It helps with coordination and balance
• It can help with recall, as it’s thought walking backwards may also help your mind retrace its thoughts.
• It helps reduce stress on the joints.
• It boosts brain health, improving response time and decision making.
• It improves gait when practised regularly.
• It uses more energy than forwards walking

Why is backwards walking so effective?

Because you have to reach backwards and plant with the toes or ball of the foot to perform your foot roll, you are working the front of the legs rather than the calves (which are used more often), thus reducing the impact of the foot strike on the knees. This backwards action also engages the buttock and quadriceps muscles more, which encourages you to stand taller. This, coupled with a backward swing of the leg, helps to lengthen the hip flexor muscles, which do tend to get tight if you sit down for long periods, often causing back pain.

Backwards walking is a remarkable recovery and fitness building tool. As a sports therapist, I often used it for those recovering from lower body injuries in their knees, hips, back, groin or Achilles tendon. Coaches include backwards jogging in training for sports where frequent changes of direction might occur, not simply because the sportsman may need to move backwards, but because of the way it works the joints and any underused muscles. It’s also a great exercise inclusion for active ageing, simple to do (as long as safety has been considered) and accessible to most people. In fact, US professors Janet Dufek and Barry Bates studied the benefits on back and lower joint pain for 40 years and reinforced its value for older adults and falls prevention.

How do I try it?

Backwards walking can be performed indoors and outdoors. Get used to adding phases of backwards walking into your routine whenever appropriate. See the backwards walking sequence (here) for further practice.

START INDOORS

• Practise planting the foot and stepping back indoors alongside a rail or row of cabinets.
• Use a treadmill with a side handrail (I do not advise backwards walking on a treadmill with no supporting rails).

VENTURE OUTDOORS

• Make sure you have a clear path or have somebody spot for you.
• Hold both hands with a partner when facing each other and take turns to walk forwards or backwards in a push me pull you action.
• Start slowly and walk for a minute or two at first. Add a minute each time you practise, if you can.

Walk this way to better mental health

The simple act of walking is a powerful mood booster, and being outdoors, breathing fresh air and moving are great ways to improve your mental health. Exercise is known to raise levels of the feel good hormone, serotonin, and reduce levels of the stress hormone, cortisol, but if you want to get active you don’t have to go striding out at top speed. There are real benefits to slowing down, and walking at a much slower pace will stimulate your brain function and sharpen your focus.

While you’re out walking, I’ll show you how to add to those benefits with some mindfulness practices to empty your mind, and some breathing exercises, to encourage your body to relax. In this chapter I also suggest you incorporate some standing yoga postures into your daily walk, so I’m passing on the ones that work for me. They will not only improve your flexibility, strength and stability, but also increase your awareness of your body, which will make you more conscious of how you move

Mindfulness practices

Be present

Let’s start with a simple way to clear the mind. The first thing you should do when using walking to help you de stress is to be present in the moment.

• Take a deep breath, step out and encourage yourself to be immersed in your surroundings and what is happening around you right now.
• Remind yourself to not think of the past, the awful day you may have had or what you need to do later.
• Learn to use your senses. Note the weather conditions and how they make you feel. Is the wind buffeting you? Is there sun on your back? Are you warm or cold?
• Who and what else is out with you today? Look for people, dogs, birdsong and traffic. Imagine what they are doing to take the focus away from your thoughts.
• If your mind comes back to unpleasant thoughts, worry or the past and future, train yourself to be in the moment again.

Focus on your body

Directing your attention to your body and how it’s moving will help to declutter the mind.

• Reset your posture (see here) and start walking. Concentrate on how your body feels as you walk.
• Breathe deeply as you take each step, matching breaths to steps can help (see 4 x 4 breathing on here).
• Think about the heel to toe action of your feet as they massage the ground. Focus on the muscles and bones in your feet, keeping you upright and stable.
• Concentrate on your legs, feeling the muscles tense and relax as they move through each step.
• Think about your hips as each leg moves back and forth, and the core as it engages as you push off with your toes.
• Consider whether your steps are slow and heavy or light and free. Explore both.
• Study the terrain you are covering and think about how it feels and sounds beneath your feet. Come up with words to describe it: soft, slippery, squelchy, dusty.
• If you notice that your attention has drifted or you are becoming caught up in everyday thoughts, gently bring your mind back by focusing again on your feet and the simple action of them hitting the ground.