On his sixteenth birthday, a son approached his father and said, “Dad, I’m sixteen now. When I get my license, can I drive the family car?” His father looked at him and said, “Son, driving the car takes maturity, and first, you must prove that you are responsible enough. And one way you must do that is to bring up your grades. They are not acceptable. Second, you must read the Bible every day. And finally, you must get your hair cut; it looks outrageous.” The youth then began the task of fulfilling his dad’s requirements, knowing that the last might be impossible. When his grades came out he went to his father with a big smile and said, “Look, dad, all A’s and B’s on my report card. Now can I drive the family car?” The father replied, “Very good, son. You are one-third of the way there, but have you been reading your Bible?” The adolescent said, “Yes, Dad, every day. Now can I drive the family car?” The Father said, “Very good, son. You are two-thirds of the way there. Now, where are you going to get that hair cut?” The teen, thinking that he could outsmart his father, replied, “Well, I don’t see why I should have to get my hair cut to drive the car. Jesus had long hair, didn’t he?” And the father responded, “That’s right, son, and Jesus walked everywhere he went!”
Note – I am not a doctor and the following is purely for information and should be taken as such.
When God created man, He gave him the ability to both walk and run. Walking was given to him/her for normal activities like (home, school, work, etc.) Running was given to him/her for abnormal activities like (fear, games, hurry, etc.) In other words, walking is routine and running is out of routine. But we have turned running into part of a daily schedule in the form of regular exercise (i.e., jogging). However, God never intended running to be something other than a short burst of energy for a temporary requirement.
(And do not think of walking as just running slowly. When you walk you have one foot on the ground at all times. When you run you are in the air during each stride. And the latter produces a ground reaction force on your body three times our weight. And that is not good for your joints. It’s why half of all runners develop injuries such as – runner’s knee, achilles tendinitis, shin splints, plantar fascitis, stress fractures, iliotibal band syndrome, and so on. As Dr. Matt Tannerberg, CSCS (sports chiropractor and certified specialist), who works with elite athletes has said, “walking can be as good a workout, if not better, than running. And long-term, a lot easier on the body.”)
Dr. Janet Dufek is a biochemist who has been studying walking backwards as a form of exercise for the last forty years. She is Professor of Kinesiology (the study of the mechanics of body movement) at the University of Nevada and was one of the developers of the elliptical trainer (an exercise machine which allows you to get a good workout without putting strain on your bones and joints). They are used throughout the world and she was instrumental in making sure the design included reverse, not just forward peddling.
Now Dr. Dufek says it may seem counterintuitive, but her research shows that one of the best ways for aging adults to increase their balance (and thus decrease their chance of falling) is to incorporate walking backwards slowly and carefully into their daily exercise routine. That walking forward develops the muscles in the front of the body (but not the back of) and ultimately creates an imbalance. However, walking backwards begins the process of rebalancing by working the muscles in the rear of the body (back of the legs, back of the hips, back of the shoulders, etc.). It also helps to to keep the gait strait, lessens pain in both the knees and the back, as well as working the brain.
The good professor adds that, of course, you should always make safety the top priority, especially seniors.
And there are many excellent websites and videos on doing just this. And they should be read or viewed
before beginning. As well, be prepared for people giving you strange looks thinking you’ve gone senile.
The bottom line? Sounds good to me. As long as walking backwards doesn’t start reversing the number of forward steps already recorded on my pedometer!
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