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On every broadcast of Movin’ Together, we present a tool that assists us in fending our immune system and fighting disease. This program, especially designed for women, encourages us all to be proactive about our health. Most of us are busy, so we need to intentionally set aside time for the movement we enjoy.

How about walking? According to the CDC (Centers for Disease Control & Prevention), walking is the most popular aerobic physical activity. In 2017, the number of people (aged six years and older) walking for fitness amounted to approximately 110.81 million people. Walking – not running – is purported as the most efficient way to stay in shape and lose weight while being easiest on your body. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommends at least 150 minutes of moderate-intensity aerobic exercise a week.

All of us can join in this form of exercise! We can walk early in the morning before work or after children go off to school. For some of us, our lunchtime is the perfect opportunity to put our body into action for health! Don’t forget about that evening walk after dinner! Great conversations enrich our walks with our family, friends, and co-workers.

Running produces ground reaction forces that are approximately 2.5 times body weight, while the ground reaction force during walking is in the range of 1.2 times body weight. If you favor running for your exercise time, most experts encourage you to walk a few days, rather than run, to decrease the pressure on your body.

The choice of shoes we wear greatly affect our movement. If we have pain in our feet, our motivation to even walk is hindered.

Nancy Brooks, the owner of In My Shoes, explained the different ways our feet strike the ground. The three types of foot strike are pronation, supination, and neutral. Pronation occurs when your arch flattens on your strike, causing your foot and ankle to roll inward. Supination is when your foot and ankle to outward roll. A neutral foot strike does not pronate or supinate. This is the most effective, efficient foot strike and leads to the least amount of injuries while running or walking.

Watch our video broadcast to see all of the shoe options Nancy showed us that would help our feet strike the ground more neutrally. Knowing your foot strike will help you get the right shoes and equipment to ensure you have happy feet.

https://www.footscientific.com/neutral-foot-strike/the-3-types-of-foot-strikes-pronation-supination-and-neutral/

https://www.cdc.gov/vitalsigns/walking/index.html

A personal note from Sara: “Years ago I sought out Nancy’s help fitting my narrow foot. Many pairs later I am enjoying the New Balance shoes she has recommended. When she told me recently that I had a neutral foot position when walking I realized I was no longer pigeon-toed! It does work to train your body to change!”