Here is something you should certainly try out. Walk backwards. That’s right! Spend about ten minutes walking backwards and see how you feel. You need to be careful that you don’t bump into anything, or trip and fall. That could be quite serious.

If you tried this out, you would have noticed a few things. First, if you are bent or slouched when you walk, your body unconsciously straightens up when you walk backwards. This is one of the reasons that a lot of people have begun practicing retro walking (i.e. walking backwards). Many of us have become so bent by working in front of the computer that we have forgotten, how to stand up straight. When we try to straighten up, it’s almost always unnatural and rigid. Therefore, when you do retro walking you will know the exact position your body considers straight and you can make a note of that, and hold yourself up in the same position when you walk forward.

Bad posture (or the way you hold your body up), is something many people don’t think about, but it is quite serious. When you slouch, you bend at the chest, and this compresses the heart. When your heart gets compressed, it has to work harder to pump blood, and this could lead to weaknesses in the heart over time. Also, when you slouch, your lungs cannot expand fully restricting the amount of oxygen you can take in. This in turn puts more strain on the heart.

Over a long period of time a weakened heart and bad posture can lead to heart disease, high blood pressure and congestive chest problems. Walking and sitting in the wrong way are also known to create knee pain, hip pain and back pain a large number of people.

Retro walking not only corrects your posture, it also helps with knee pain and hip pain if you have already developed them. Research here shows that retro walking practiced for three days every week can reduce chronic knee pain in six weeks. 

So, give it a go, and let us know what you think.