Table of contents:
- Health benefits of walking backwards
- 1. Burn more calories
- 2. Improve brain function
- 3. Increase heart rate
- 4. Other benefits
The benefits of walking for health do not need to be doubted. Yes, walking is an easy and fun way to increase physical activity without excessive effort and energy. However, if you want to get the maximum benefit, you can try going backwards.
At first glance, walking backwards does not seem to be of any significant benefit. In fact, this one activity actually offers many good benefits for health compared to walking forward as usual. So, what are the benefits? Check out the following reviews.
Health benefits of walking backwards
The path forward may be so familiar, that you often do it without hesitation. It's different when you walk backwards. Walking backwards can increase your endurance and aerobic capacity faster. The reason is, the challenges given to your body are greater, so you force your body to adapt to new things that are not usually done.
Indirectly, it can encourage improvement and growth in your physical fitness. Well, this is what makes the way backward has more health benefits than the way forward.
Here are some health benefits of walking backwards that should not be overlooked:
1. Burn more calories
Based on research, walking backwards is known to burn 40 percent more calories than if you walk in general. If you are walking backwards on an uphill area, you will need more energy and will burn more calories.
This increase in calories burned will certainly provide good benefits. Also, walking backwards may be a good way to add to a higher intensity workout because you don't need to do it at a high speed.
2. Improve brain function
When you go backward, you will naturally have a higher difficulty than the way forward, right? You are required to be more focused as well as be able to adjust the balance. Now, this is why going backwards is tantamount to training your brain to do difficult tasks.
Based on the results of research conducted by researchers from the University of Nevada in Las Vegas, it is found that the level of concentration required when you walk backwards is as intense as the concentration required when you are in the face of danger. This led the researchers to conclude that going backwards could improve brain function because it makes you more focused while doing it.
3. Increase heart rate
Based on the results of several small studies showing that at the same speed walking backwards can increase the heart rate compared to walking forward.
Another study conducted by researchers from Texas in the Journal of Orthopedic and Sport Physical Therapy concluded that walking backwards can increase heart rate by 17-20 percent. The results of this study indicate that walking backwards is an ideal interval training method to add a higher training intensity when you do physical activity on foot.
4. Other benefits
A study published in the Journal of Biomechanics also found that going backwards can reduce anterior knee pain when compared to walking forward. Another study published in the International Journal of Sports Medicine found that a combination of walking backwards and forwards can improve cardiovascular fitness and alter body composition.
Even if your body isn't used to going backwards, this one activity offers more benefits for your heart, blood vessels, and calorie burning in less time. Well, this will certainly make your training more efficient and intense. So how about it, are you ready to try it out?
x