Another blog post from the desk of Ann Arbor chiropractor Mike Tannenbaum, D.C.

As a continuation of my last blog post, about an active lifestyle, where I mentioned that an active lifestyle helps prevent ill health, here's an easy exercise I often recommend to my Ann Arbor chiropractic patients. This exercise can be used to help maintain an active lifestyle – and this exercise is walking. Walking is easy for many people, and even for those who struggle to exercise, walking is a relatively simple and effortless way to exercise.

Like most types of exercise, walking has many health benefits. Here are some of the health benefits of walking:

Improves your coordination and balance

Improves your mood

Helps you maintain a healthy weight

Promotes cardiovascular (heart and blood vessels) and respiratory (breathing) health

Promotes bone health

Walking, as a form of exercise, should be treated like any other exercise. That is, don't do too much at first. Work your way up to more strenuous walks (that is, longer and faster walks, or walks with a longer and steeper uphill portion). If you’re new to walking as a form of exercise, start off walking 10-15 minutes a day, then gradually increase the time walking over a month or so to 30 to 60 minutes a day. Also, make sure you have good-quality walking shoes that fit you well.

In addition, good walking posture is important: it will allow you to walk comfortably over a long distance while helping you avoid injury. You should walk with your shoulders back. Keep shoulders above the hips and not rounded forward. Your body should be relaxed (a lot of people tighten their shoulders when walking) and let your arms swing freely. Your head should be up in order to maintain proper neck posture. That is, keep your ears above your shoulders. Do not arch or round your back.

I hope this blog post helps you achieve a more active lifestyle! If you have any questions about this blog, chiropractic, back pain, neck pain or headaches, I can be contacted at my Ann Arbor office. You can either respond to this blog post on this blog page, or email me at [email protected].