Walk your way to wellness with ChiWalking.

 

According to the CDC, more than 145 million adults now include walking as part of a lifestyle. More than 6 in 10 people walk for transportation or fitness.

 

Regular brisk walking has many health benefits including:

 

  • Lower risk of heart disease
  • Stronger bones and muscles
  • Improved mood
  • Better sleep
  • Smaller waistline

 

To realize the health benefits of walking, walk briskly for at least 30 minutes per day. The faster, farther and more frequently you walk, the greater the benefits.

 

Form matters

 

According to Danny Dreyer, author of ChiWalking, most people walk in a way that keeps them stuck in poor movement habits that restrict their flow of energy and can even de- grade their fitness level.

 

Reportedly, most men are walking purely on leg power. Women often have too little core strength and as a result, have too much lateral movement in their pelvis. Both issues often cause lower-back and hip problems later in life.

 

Fitness walking requires good posture and purposeful movements.

 

How to walk with good form 

 

  1. Look forward rather than at the ground.
  2. Relax your shoulders and neck.
  3. Swing your arms with a slight bend at the arm.
  4. Tighten your stomach muscles so that your back is in a neutral position.
  5. Roll through your foot from heel to toe.

 

Tap into your infinite source of chi [aka: life force energy]. You can balance the chi in your body by aligning your spine, engaging your core muscles, and relaxing everything else. When the chi in your body flows freely, you move with less effort and pain.

 

The mental benefits of Tai Chi

 

According to Harvard Health, one of the biggest benefits of Tai Chi is not physical – but emotional.

 

“Fear of falling” is one of the biggest predictors of someone with an instability problem falling. Reportedly, Tai Chi makes you feel firmer on your feet because it targets all the physical components needed to stay upright including leg strength, flexibility, range of motion and reflexes. Feeling firmer reduces fear.

 

Other benefits

 

Studies have also reported benefits with several other mental health disorders.

 

  1. Stress
  2. Anxiety
  3. Depression
  4. Mood disturbances
  5. Self-esteem

 

ChiWalking combines elements of Tai Chi with walking and running to create a complete mind-body workout.

 

ChiWalking: Five Mindful Steps

 

1/ Get aligned: Posture and intensions

 

2/ Engage your core: Abdominals and willpower

 

3/ Create balance: Upper BodyLower Body and mental balance

 

4/ Make a choice: Walk with inner strength and balance by making small positive choices.

 

5/ Move forward: Consistency, confidence and focused spaciousness.

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