In Yemen, the young men of the Zaraniz tribe show that they are ready for battle by jumping over two-metre tall camels, using their stamina and strength. The evolutionary biologist Daniel Lieberman says our bodies were designed to leap, jump and bound, which is why we have springy arches in our feet and an Achilles tendon to help us jump. When we do speed walking we leap from one foot to the other, carrying our own weight and working against gravity. It’s an excellent weight-bearing exercise.
Regular walking is excellent for preserving our bones. Our bones start to weaken from our 30s onwards. In the USA up to 55% of the population (men and women) over the age of 50 have osteopenia or osteoporosis due to their sedentary lifestyle. However, regular walking can build our bone-mineral density (BMD), if we modify how we walk. As bone is a living tissue, it can rebuild or ‘remodel’ itself. To do this it needs the shock of ground impact, and the greater the impact, the better our bones. Also, the faster we move, the greater the impact as our foot hits the ground, multiplying the benefits. Out of 60000 postmenopausal women, those who walked briskly four times a week had a lower risk of hip fractures compared to those who didn’t walk, walked less or walked more slowly.
Researchers as Brigham Young University have found that jumping for a few minutes is better than anything else for building strong bones, even running. Jumping 10 times a day builds BMD significantly after just two months. Skipping (without a rope) has a similar effect, so why don’t we add it into our walks!
Adding in other movements to our walking, such as suddenly changing direction, is also great for strengthening our bones. For instance, athletes who also play ball sports have a better BMD than those who don’t. The bone strength of those who mix up their movement is similar to that of high jumpers. This movement is called ‘odd-impact exercise loading’. So, we could also incorporate dancing or walking backwards in addition to skipping and jumping into our walks.
In the countryside we can jump over rocks, branches, puddles and streams. In the city we can jump over flower beds, low walls, puddles, and bound up steps. If you don’t want to do any of these things during your walks, you can simply keep up a brisk pace. Walking at a rate of five to six kilometres per hour is recommended for preserving bone density in the elderly, mixing in some changes of direction and side steps.
Nordic walking, weighted walking, hillwalking and tabbing (military-style trekking with a heavy pack) are good ways to adapt your walking to gain more bone strength, especially in the sunshine. Research shows that heat may protect against bone density loss, explaining why hip fractures are more common in northern countries.
So, why not start your next walk with a few star jumps!
Source: 52 Ways to Walk: Annabel Streets – Bloomsbury Publishing