The Mobility Blog Part 2-How to Move Better, Get Stronger And Walk Longer

Do this simple 5 Day Exercise, five times in a row slowly, five times a day, for five days in a row. By the end of the fifth day you'll understand how to align, move and position your head and neck while walking allowing you to move better, get stronger, walk longer and engage your core muscles. Core muscles are not just your abs. They include the flexor and extensor muscles around the top of your spine and the muscles under your shoulder blades and on the front of your chest. 

• Do the exercise in the morning. At or around noon, midafternoon, before or after dinner and before going to sleep. If you skip a day or you don’t do the exercise 5 times in a row slowly, 5 times a day for five consecutive you need to start the 5 days over.
• Sit in a chair. Make sure your spine is supported by either a pillow placed behind your back or you’re sitting in a chair that supports your spine with your head upright and centered over your shoulders.
• Start the exercise with your head upright and your line of sight straight ahead.
• Place a light book or notebook on top of your head so that it stays in place on top of your head without falling.

• Feel how your head and neck are aligned and positioned when the book is on your head. 
• Slowly drop your chin towards your chest until the book or notebook falls in your lap.
• Feel how straight the back of your neck is. Notice how your head and the top of your neck are now positioned downward in front of the rest of your body and that the size of your visual field is now a fraction of what it was when your head was upright with your line of sight ahead of you towards the ground.

  When you walk looking down at the ground in front of your feet instead of keeping your head upright and your line of sight ahead of you towards the ground ahead of you the way you drive a car or ride a bike your spine loses alignment, your core muscles become weaker and you increase your risk of falling. Your walking stride and visual field becomes so small that unless something is right in front of your toes you won't see it or have enough time to safely step over or around it. 

The only time you should look directly down towards the ground at your feet when walking is when you're on the stars, in the dark, on a wet or slippery surface, an uneven surface, sitting down, standing up or when stepping over or around something. You can glance down when walking without dropping your head down and see almost up to your toes. 

  When you walk with your head upright and centered over your shoulders.  With your line of sight towards the ground ahead of you the way you drive a car or ride a bike your body is more stable and has more balance. Your arms are able to swing forward and backward stabilizing your body and helping distribute your weight evenly over and on your hip, knee, ankle joints and feet. You can feel the core muscles around your spine, under your shoulder blades and chest that keep your head and shoulders upright engaging as your arms swing forward and backward. You look younger and feel younger because you're moving your body the way it was designed to be aligned, moved and positioned to maintain your upright posture, balance and stability as you age.

Watch the video below of 99 year old Dinkie Flowers. Notice how stable , upright and flexible she is and that she has coordinated movement between the left and right side of her body when she walks, turns and bends. 

https://youtu.be/v60FkXqHcQY?si=acAy4uTAtFCaTU7n

Drive your body the way you drive your car. Head upright and with your line of sight ahead of you towards the ground to see everything in your path, reduce your risk of falling and maintain your body's core strength and alignment.

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