Walking may not feel like much and perhaps isn’t something we think about. It is something that we do everyday and can come in many different ways. Whether that is going out for a morning walk, walking to the train station for work or walking from the bedroom to the kitchen it’s something that is done daily. When our ability to walk is reduced then it has such a large impact on our ability to live life the way we want to.

Here are a few tips for you to work on your balance, stability and control to improve your walking ability.

Strengthen the legs

Strengthening the main muscles used for walking is a simple way to increase your efficiency and control. Stronger muscles won’t have to work as hard and therefore will be able to move for longer before tiring thereby improving your walking tolerance. Simple exercises such as sit to stands and step ups are examples of movements which will strengthen our leg muscles used for walking.

Strengthen the hip and core

A troublesome area for many of us is hip  and core coordination and strength can be a barrier to our walking ability. Identifying and then addressing this can be an important step to improving our walking ability. Exercises such as glute bridges and hip isolation exercises help improve hip and core control and improve walking mechanics and our walking capacity.

Stability and balance

Lastly, improving our balance can have a tremendous impact on our stability and ability to walk freely. Balance exercises challenge our legs, hip and core to work together which improves walking stability as well impacting confidence when it comes to walking and falls prevention. Tandem walk (or heel to toe walking) is a great example of a balance exercise which will improve our balance as well as assist in walking stability.

Walking is a simple, cost effective and enjoyable way to complete aerobic exercise which is highly effective in management of chronic diseases. Whilst walking may not feel like much, getting a regular amount has positive benefits on our sleep, mood, muscles joints and heart health. Disease prevention and management is all about developing daily habits and creating a healthy lifestyle which may involve walking. Utilise the tips from ability to improve your walking and improve your wellness.