Walk yourself to health - part 4 - The next (injury free) step on the path to great gait

The power of knowing your body

“At the start of each Dojiva class we sense in with a body-scan. This self-evaluation opens the door for a mind-body-moment connection. It’s this connection that offers the ultimate safety net and it’s really difficult to pick up or exaggerate an injury from this place”.

Enjoy your daily walk

I think that a daily walk is a great tonic for so many things. As will as a pleasant form of exercise, walking is a great opportunity to be present, to practice body and postural awareness, to heal niggles, release tension, to get outside in nature and it offers a perfect time to slow things down (which includes a busy mind). You also get a boost for your metabolism, lymphatic system and joint health.

And you can do a little extra in daily commuting by getting off the bus a stop early, or parking your car as far away from the supermarket entrance as possible!

Note, for those looking to lose some weight, a light walk after eating is a great strategy.

What about an injury limiting your ability to walk comfortably?

Although injuries do not need to be long term, healing of any sort does require a few qualities:

• Time and patience
• Postural and movement awareness in daily life 
• Identifying and removing movement patterns that could be keeping the injury alive 
• A well structured rehab programme
• A strong mental commitment and
• Oftentimes support from professional hands

You could imagine moving from the frustration and limitation of an injury or a limp to the freedom of pain-free, flowing movement. This is more than just a nice thought and could indeed become a reality. So yes, I really think that you can go from limping to sprinting! 

But the ability to journey from an injury to dynamic exercise will vary from one person to another and of course the severity of the case. Either way, it all starts with a good mind-set so whatever your goal, believe that it can be reached. With that in place begin to take many small steps on your path to movement comfort.

Injuries often strike unexpectedly

E.g. from a fall, an accident, poor lifting technique, over-reaching in sport or an over-strong mind pushing the body too hard during exercise. But injury can also be more chronic and creep up from years of bad posture and unnatural movement patterns (especially with gait).

And that is one of the reasons I have dedicated this whole month to set the foundation for a sound and flowing gait that has grace and ease. Also, for injury management, Dojiva classes ‘sense in’ before and during the workout/stretch and we also have the rehab category that helps you find appropriate classes easy.

Note - If you are in recovery from a more serious injury or post surgery, you can maintain CV fitness with swimming and/or cycling. Also, to keep up with conditioning exercises for the rest of your body.

When ready though, I invite you to take the next step…

The stepping stone to jogging may not be too big

I discussed and demonstrated in video Mindfulness 63 that a light jog is oftentimes more comfortable and better for the joints than a fast walk. Quick walking is often done while late and stressed and when you do reach your intended destination, your body likely feels rather battered, tense and jammed up.

If you were to cover the same distance with an easy and light jog you may well arrive refreshed! (See more tips on Farm inspiration 22 to join in with the reality of how to transition into jogging/running).

For now, in written words, it goes something like this:

1. Before any exercise, it is a great idea to do some light head to toe joint mobility
2. To neutralise your posture, also do a few rounds of Aston standing arcing
3. Then, before you set off, why not add a positive statement? E.g. “I’m ready for this”
4. Begin with an easy walk for a few minutes
5. Just before you take up a jog, bend your elbows so that your hands are at chest height
6. After a few strides, increase your ankle hinge to jog for a few paces only
7. Walk for ten strides, then repeat a few strides of slow jogging
8. All being a well, you might jog for 10, 20, 50 paces. If you are new to this, build up slowly because it’s not until the next day or two that you realise you over-did it on that first time.
9. You will notice that your foot lands directly under your body and it’s a mid-foot strike (not a hard heel dig).
10. In time, the jog becomes a run and before you know it, you will be up for hill sprints!

Summary

Rebuilding the body from a limp to a sprint may take multiple months, but is possible. If you are unsure about an injury and how to get started, maybe I can guide you safely with private sessions?

I want to see you build confidence with each measured step. gently reminding the body what healthy movement feels like. Reply here with any questions and embody it all with this weeks classes.

That’s it for this week, thanks for reading.

Take care

Danny

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Here are this weeks recommended cluster of Dojiva classes

Sunday 15th - Ergonomics 12 - Bouncy Gait - Learn how to put a spring in your step with this gait class. It’s the stepping stone from a slow walk to jogging.

Also, please review Mindfulness 64 from last week.

And the farmers carry - Farm inspiration 22

Monday 22nd - Mini fitness 120 - Enjoy eight intervals today, six of which involve travelling forwards. If you can train outdoors, please do. And, if you have the luxury of a long garden or local park then take me with you on a mobile device and go for the distance!

Tuesday 23rd - Mobility 99 - Here is one of our classes that aims to improve flexibility of muscles and connective tissues such as nerves and fascia. We are focusing on the front of the thigh which includes the quads and hip flexors. These are some of the muscles that get short from time spent seated. When in good length, posture improves and your gait becomes more efficient and you’ll be better prepared to start jogging.

Wednesday 24th - Meditation 52 - A longer practice today with this 25 minute guided meditation that is followed with an extra 30 minutes of binaural beats brain calming music in the alpha range.

Thursday 25th - Workout 02 - Although this class has 6 sets of strength training and 5 rounds of intervals, overall it not one of our toughest so a good way to begin our three workouts this week. It includes good leg conditioning with balance squats and flowing upper body work.

Friday 26th Mobility 131 - Mobility and stretching for common sports.

Saturday 27th - Mini fitness 87 - Apart from your mat, there’s no equipment needed today. We have a fun mix of 8 intervals, some more subtle and some rather dynamic combo options… and I join in with this one!