Mindful Mall-Walking
– Musings of Dr. Jamie Hsu, 1.9.2019
In order to add more variety to my daily exercise routine, I have decided to try walking in a shopping mall when it’s too cold to jog outdoors. This has turned out to be a refreshing and fun experience for me. In the process of walking 10,000 steps daily, I have encountered all kinds of walkers — young and old, male and female, individual and group. Most interesting is to see how everyone’s walk is so different. It reminds me of the instructions from doctors and therapists on how to walk properly to avoid back and leg pain. To improve one’s health, posture, and endurance through proper walking, one should go through the process of Observe, Learn, and Practice.
Observation: Some walkers barely move any part of their body other than shuffling their feet. They even hold their hands behind their back to minimize the work. Some others may swing their hands and forearms vigorously, but not the upper arms and shoulders. These walkers limit their motion, and the benefits of walking are undoubtedly reduced quite a bit.
Learning: Good advice on how to maximize the benefit of walking is provided by Dr. Chuck Tillotson. The highlights are summarized in the accompanying chart.
- Push yourself forward with your toes and calf, instead of just lifting the legs and leaning forward. This will strengthen the back side of the leg and hip muscles.
- Swing your shoulders and upper arms to open up the chest and have body rotation. This will pump blood and fluids into the spine and promote the health of the back.
- Put spring and bounce into every step so the head will move up and down. This will increase flexibility and agility in one’s movement.
Mindful Practice: Because of thesafe and pleasant environment in the mall, a walker is not distracted by traffic and crowded pedestrians. He can pay total attention to every step he takes and practice the proper mechanics of walking. Doing this consistently, one can have stronger and more balanced muscles, less back stiffness and pain, and better posture. This kind of mindful mall-walking will improve your health and happiness. Go for it!!
用心去購物中心健走
-作者 許俊宸博士
-中譯 薛乃綺
為了增加我自己日常運動的多樣性，我決定嘗試在購物中心健走，尤其當天氣太冷又下雪，無法在戶外運動的時候。這對我來說，無異是個嶄新有趣的體驗。在每天步行1萬步的過程中，我遇到了各式各樣的步行者，有老的、小的；男的、女的；一個人走的、一群人一起走的。最有趣的，是看到每個步行的人走的都不一樣。這也讓我想起了醫生跟治療師對於如何正確走路，才能避免引發背部及腿部疼痛的建議与教導。一個人若要透過適當的步行來改善健康、姿勢及耐力，就需要經過觀察、學習與用心實踐的過程。
觀察：有些步行者除了舉動雙腳外，幾乎不會移動身體的任何部位。他們甚至將手放在背後，以減少負擔。有些則是猛烈地揮動手與前臂，而没有動到上臂和肩膀。這幾種類型的步行，無疑会讓原本健行的好處降低很多。
學習：Chuck Tilloton博士提供了關於如何讓健走的效益達到最大化。重點概述在附圖中。
- 用腳趾，小腿，和臀部向前推，而不只是抬起腿向前傾。這樣可以強化腿部和臀部的肌肉，和背部的脊骨。
- 擺動肩膀和上臂，藉此打開胸部並且讓身體有律動。如此可以加強脊骨的血液循環，提升背部的健康。
- 讓每個腳步就像裝上彈簧一樣，讓頭也跟著上下振動。這樣可以增加一個人活動的靈活性與敏捷度。
用心實踐：由於購物中心的環境安全舒適，步行者比較不會因交通或擁擠的人群而分心；他可以全神貫注在所走的每一步上，並且練習適當的步行機制。持續這樣做，可以讓肌肉更強壯、更均衡，讓背部的僵硬及疼痛減少、姿勢变的更好。
這種有意思的商場健走將會增加你的健康跟快樂，请趕快起來行動吧！
