[Harumanbo Harucheonja] "When walking backward, you exist only through your body"

British Author Annabel Straits Praises Walking Backwards
Introduces 52 Types of Walking for 52 Weeks a Year
Walking Backwards Burns 40% More Energy Than Walking Forward
Promotes Exercise to Age Well Instead of Turning Back Time

"When we walk forward, we forget our body and exist only in our mind. But when we walk backward, we abandon the mind and exist only through the body."

Annabel Streets (58), a writer and columnist based in the UK, recently praised walking backward on her blog. She said, "Our brain has to work harder when walking backward. Since we don’t know where we’re going, our concentration increases and we become more immersed in walking," recommending, "Try it for a few minutes before starting mentally demanding tasks."

Another benefit of walking backward is improved stability and balance. Taking shorter steps and rolling backward through the soles of the feet strengthens the shin muscles without putting much strain on the knee joints. It is especially good for those with knee problems. Walking backward is also effective for fat burning. Several studies show that energy consumption is nearly 40% higher when walking backward at the same speed as walking forward. Another effect is improved walking posture. It is claimed that occasionally walking backward allows you to walk forward more gracefully. People with movement disorders often relearn how to walk through backward walking. Streets claims they found the tendency to fall forward completely disappears when walking backward.

Encouraging walking by stating that even just 12 minutes of vigorous exercise can bring dramatic changes to the body. [Source=agewellproject]

Streets recommends the following method. First, start slowly on a flat path. Because walking backward may look awkward to others, early morning with fewer people is best. Find an indoor corridor or a long garden to begin. At fitness clubs, you can slow down and use handrails. Although you may want to look over your shoulder at first, it distorts your upper body, so it’s better not to. Once your posture is aligned (stand straight with shoulders pulled back), land on your toes and roll your foot from toes to heel as you take a step backward. Increase your speed as you become more comfortable. Try it on slopes or (carefully) on stairs. Think about what your body is doing. Walking backward gives a distinctly different sensation. You become sharply aware of the space you move through and how it feels. When vision becomes useless, you’ll find other senses, especially proprioception (sometimes called our sixth sense), come to your aid.

Annabelle Streets also recommends Nordic walking, which involves using sticks to support parts of the body while walking. [Source=agewellproject]

In her book , which has also been introduced in Korea, Streets presents 52 ways to walk. Based on 52 weeks in a year, she introduces new walking methods she personally practiced and scientifically analyzes the benefits of these 52 walks using papers and the latest research. These 52 include walking in cold weather, walking with correct posture, walking with a pet dog, walking like a pilgrim, walking while drawing, walking while meditating, and walking while observing fractals. The 49th method is walking backward.

Streets has four children and lives with her family in London and Sussex. She is better known as Annabel Abbs. She won the British New Writer Award for her novel , and her nonfiction book was selected as one of Smithsonian’s “Top 10 Books of 2021.” She often walks in London and East Sussex. Alongside health coach and writer Susan Saunders, she runs a site called the AgeWell Project to create a healthy and happy later life. This is connected to their personal stories. Streets was diagnosed with an inflammatory disease at age 25. Her grandfather died of cancer, and her grandmother was immobile due to dementia and rheumatoid arthritis. Susan Saunders’s mother also suffered from severe dementia for over 12 years before passing away.

Annabelle Streets praising walking backward with a photo of walking backward
[Source=agewellproject]

They said, "We have seen our families succumb to heart disease, cancer, dementia, and diabetes, and we wanted to do everything possible to reduce the risk of facing the same fate," adding, "The way we age can be changed." They never want to be young again. They said, "We will not turn back time to angry teenagers, broke and hungover twenties, exhausted thirties from childbirth, or stressed sandwich generation forties. We enjoy being in our fifties and plan to enjoy our sixties, seventies, and beyond."