Perfect your POSTURE

With the right walking posture you can focus your energy and avoid injuries. Personal trainer Simon Cass tells you how…

BEFORE YOU START

It’s a good idea to warm up your spine before you set off on your walk. Firstly, jog or march on the spot for about a minute. Then, stand up straight with your hands on your hips, keeping them facing forward and rotate from the waist in both directions, five times. Next, imagine you are standing between two panes of glass, and lean over to one side, then the other. Do this five times.

Finally, bend forwards from the waist and then lean back, five times.

Don’t force anything – you will find your range of movement gradually increases if you stick with it. See p17 for more pre- and post-stroll stretches.

KEEP CHECKING YOUR POSTURE

In an ideal world, once you had set yourself in the right posture, you would stay like that… forever! Sadly, this isn’t the case, so whenever you have a break, check how you’re doing. Pausing before you cross the road? Take a deep breath and stretch your spine. Stopping to take a drink? Make sure your shoulders are relaxed when you pick your bag back up and set off again. Frequent checks like these, whether it’s a long walk or you’re just popping round to the shops, will help you stay

problem free.