While answering questions at a local American Heart Association Walk in Cobb County Georgia this weekend, I had talked to a young woman who shared with me one of her difficulties when walking. She previously had spinal surgery which impacted her ability to walk up any incline without an extremely hunched over posture. With this posture not only was the gait affected but the fact is that it was near impossible for her to walk a minor incline without reaching fatigue quickly and stopping.

She was able to demonstrate this quickly:

  • While walking a sidewalk in a flat area her posture was erect.
  • While walking a sidewalk in an inclined area her posture was hunched and when she attempted to stand erect she would quickly come to a stop.
  • This lack of function and increased fatigue in the legs were the consequence of standing more upright.

I have worked the gamete of challenges while training and coaching and I wanted to take on this challenge and explore a solution.

She said, “I’ve had all kinds of therapy and training since the surgery and nothing has really altered this challenge, which I have come to accept.”

The teaching progression is the same for all those who begin to Balance Walk. In some cases the circumstances make it necessary to begin with Nordic Pole Walking and move in to Balance Walking by utilizing the rocker bottom soled shoes (Chung Shi, MBT, etc):

  • Step one Nordic Poles
  • Step two Balance Walking

We began on a flat sidewalk and progressed to an incline without the poles and then with the poles. Without going in to the all the details I will say that for the 1st time ever she made the incline in the erect posture. This was not because she was holding herself up with poles, but because of:

  • The arm swing
  • A very slight push off with the poles, were creating forward momentum and balance shift created by using the poles.
  • The addition of the Chung Shi or another Rocker Bottom is Step

I then followed up with a recommendation to reach out to and join one of the balance walking classes in her area. It’s a great way to learn, maintain accountability, improve conditioning and as important to meet others who are discovering the benefits of Balance Walking.