Top 5 Exercises to Walk Better

By Nancy Alexander, PT, CSCS

“Walking is man’s best medicine,” said Hippocrates. Carrie Latet once referred to it as, “Walking: the most ancient exercise and still the best modern exercise.” “Walking is the great adventure of the body,” said Freya Stark.

Unfortunately, not everyone can walk. But if you can, I suggest you do. And do it often. I agree that is it one of the best modern exercises as noted above. I also believe it is one of the best things that modern medicine has to offer. Walking is so basic yet one of the most critical skills you can have. At its most fundamental level, it allows you to get from place to place. It allows you to move about in your home, to shop, and to visit with friends. It allows you to travel. It allows you independence.

Please walk if you can and perhaps put some extra intent into it. Want to walk better or even make it a part of your fitness routine? The five exercises below can help you experience the benefits of walking firsthand.

Walking improves your fitness level, strength and balance. It helps improve your mental and emotional state. And may you all know its power to improve your spirit. Well, if walking is so good for you, maybe now is the time to get moving. Maybe you want to improve your ability to walk longer or with better form. Or, you might be someone who is fairly active and wants to start a walking fitness program. Either way, consider some essential movements to work on first. This is especially important if you have not walked much recently whether it is simply due to weather or because of some other reason. Regardless of your fitness level now, you should focus on movements that contribute to your ability to walk. It’s that simple.  These exercises will help you improve your range of motion (or flexibility), strength and balance.

There are many exercises to choose from and these are just a select few. But they, in my opinion, give you the most benefit for your efforts. And you may notice that they all have one thing in common – they are all done while standing. Walking is a standing activity so the top exercises should also be done in standing. Sitting does not help you stand or walk better.

Below is my pick for the 5 top exercises to help you walk better and/or help you start a walking fitness program. These descriptions can also be found in my most recent book, “Get UP! Defy Aging with Movement.” Here they are:

1. Alternating heel and toe raises
   1. Hold onto the kitchen counter lightly for safety. Raise up on your toes of both feet at the same time, and then rock back and try to lift the toes of both feet off the floor at the same time. You may need to pitch your hips back and shoulders forward for the toe raises. Perform up to 10 times alternating heels up and toes up and progress to 30 reps slowly, over time, as you are able.
   1. This helps improve strength and balance required for walking with a normal gait.
2. Standing straight leg raises
   1. Hold onto the kitchen counter lightly for safety. While supporting your weight on one leg, lift the other leg in the following directions while trying to keep your knee as straight as possible.
      1. Forward direction (to the front)
      1. To the side
      1. To the back
   1. Always return to the starting position. Perform up to 5 reps, then 10 reps, while ultimately progressing up to 30 reps slowly, over time, for each position. Alternate legs as needed to rest the leg you are standing on. Breathe normally.
   1. This helps strengthen your hips and legs for better propulsion while walking.
3. Mini squats
   1. Stand at and hold onto your kitchen counter as needed for safety. Act as if you are going to sit down, but don’t. That is, perform a small squat in this manner and only bend your knees and hips slightly before rising back up into standing. Be sure to bend forward at your hips as this helps to keep your knees behind your toes. (Hint: You should always see your toes if you look down.) Hold onto the counter as needed for balance or simply hover your hands over the counter to progress it. Perform up to 10 times, and progress to 30 reps slowly, over time.
   1. This exercise helps to strengthen your big muscle groups including the quadriceps, hamstrings, and gluteal muscles that are used when walking.
4. Single leg stance
   1. Hold onto the kitchen counter while raising one foot off the floor. Try to keep your balance on one leg for up to 30 seconds as able. Lighten your support on the counter if you are able to progress this. Can’t hold it the full 30 seconds? No problem. Just count how long you can hold this stance on each leg and try to improve your performance over time. As noted above, if you can lighten your grip on the counter or remove your hand safely – even briefly – try to do so. Perform 3 times as able for each leg.
   1. This improves your balance. Standing on one leg is required when walking as you lift one leg to take a step.
5. Calf stretch (Runner’s Stretch)
   1. Hold onto the kitchen counter for support. Slide one foot back, and keep that foot pointing forward and that knee straight as best you can. Bend the knee of the other leg in front of you, and lunge forward until a gentle stretch is felt in the calf of the back leg. Hold up to 30 seconds as able, and perform 3 reps each leg. Don’t forget to keep a normal upright posture as you do this. You can continue to support yourself on the counter as this is not a balance challenge. You may repeat with the same leg or alternate legs between reps.
   1. This improves flexibility and thus can improve your walking stride length.

Always consult with your physician or movement professional before you start any new exercise program to be sure it’s the right fit for you. They may help you discover other activities you could do to improve your fitness that are more customized to you. For the ones above, perform these activities daily to help you improve your physical fitness and ability to walk longer and more safely. For those that involve strengthening (numbers 1-3), try to increase your reps slowly to 30 over time as able. Feel free to consult my YouTube Channel for proper form for these exercises. The standing straight leg raises are even included in this month’s newsletter. Simply click on the video to view.

A walking fitness program can be a great idea to improve your health, fitness level and quality of life. And who doesn’t want to walk better with more efficiency. Use the exercises above to help ensure your success. And enjoy your new and more active lifestyle.