By: Pete Egoscue
Improve the efficiency of your workout and prevent pain and injury with this 20-minute cool-down routine after your next walk.
For many of us, our imbalances elude us. We think we're healthy, we think we're aligned, but in fact, everything we do, all day, every day, contributes to our habitual patterns, which in turn affect our state of balance. So, for most of us, we're perpetuating our misalignments simply by walking down the street. The way we walk, sit, and stand--key elements of daily life--can either hinder us or help us. When we learn to release tension, and distribute weight evenly in our feet and across sides, we are closer to finding center. As such, our walking, standing, and sitting can just as easily be our medicine as our poison.
This 20-minute cool-down, designed by alignment expert Pete Egoscue, will put your body in a neutral position by targeting common areas of weakness and tightness that lead to asymmetrical movement. Spending just a few minutes soothing tension in key areas such as the shoulders, neck, back and hips will allow the healing properties of walking to solidify their effects on the body. For best results, try this 15-minute warm-up sequence before you walk or exercise.