Walk away your pain

If you’ve ever suffered from lower back pain, you know getting relief can require a dedicated regimen of physical therapy exercises, often using all kinds of specialized equipment. Wouldn’t it be more enjoyable to take a walk instead? In fact, walking 20 to 40 minutes two to three times a week was just as effective at relieving lower back pain as a typical—and costly—muscle-strengthening program in a rehabilitation clinic, according to a study conducted by researchers at Tel Aviv University and published in the Clinical Rehabilitation journal. When people walk actively abdominal and back muscles work in much the same way as when they complete exercises that target these areas, said the study’s lead research Dr. Michal Katz-Leurer. Participants in the study were assessed for pain levels, feelings of disability, avoidance of daily activities, and muscle and walking endurance. Over six weeks, one group completed a clinic-based program involving two to three therapy exercise sessions a week while the second group did the aerobic walking program. Both groups improved significantly in all areas, and the walking program was as effective as the clinic treatment. The low-impact activity of walking encourages a healthier life style overall, Katz-Leurer said. It lowers blood pressure, reduces stress, and boosts brain and immune system functioning. In fact, when you synchronize walking with proper breathing, not only can you improve the overall functioning of your body, you create an ideal state for learning and personal change, which is the focus of our new Paraliminal Walkabout program. As you enter what we call the “walkabout zone,” your mind can better absorb the powerful and supportive messages provided on a Paraliminal recording. As natural as walking might seem, however, many people fail to do it correctly, says David Rubenstein, a kinesiology and pain management expert and co-creator of the Walkabout program. “Many people never learned to walk properly as children. For others, incremental changes in posture and stride have occurred over the years,” says David. “Stress and anxiety, poorly fitting shoes, trauma or injury, or poor posture can all create misalignment of the spine, neck, and head, leading to everything from jaw pain and headaches to back pain and arthritis.” The key to walking correctly is the fluidity and ease of every muscle and joint. Your body is in a dynamic state of stabilizing, adapting, and responding, continually making adjustments to bring itself in alignment with the center of gravity. To gain a sense of how your body does this, David says, try this: Stand with your feet about hip-distance apart. Your pelvic region is slightly forward while your head and shoulders come back.

• Feel your toes pressing lightly downward into the ground.
• Now lift just your toes off the ground, inside your shoes or barefoot, for a few seconds. Notice how your body naturally wants to lean for greater stability.
• Release your toes back to the ground, pressing them into the floor. Notice how your body naturally aligns upright.

As you walk, your body will continually react to any uneven loading on either foot, always seeking to right itself. The next time you go for a walk consider these tips from our Paraliminal Walkabout program:

• Stand in the proper posture, at ease with your feet about hip-distance apart, looking forward with your head level. Be in a neutral balance over your feet.
• Imagine your head rises up on your neck and spine to elongate your spine in a comfortable posture.
• Relax your shoulders, allowing your arms and hands to hang at your sides, your fingers slightly separated and relaxed.
• Breathe using the muscles of your diaphragm (“belly” breathing) in a steady rhythm, inhaling and exhaling for an equal number of counts.
• Begin walking in a nice, easy rhythm, allowing your arms to swing naturally along each side of your body.
• Synchronize the counting of your steps with your breathing.
• Become aware of the sensations in your body.

Improving the rhythmic quality of your walking and breathing helps to achieve better oxygenation of your brain and body, David says. You’ll begin to experience less stress and pain, better mental clarity and focus, and greater levels of energy. www.LearningStrategies.com/walkabouts/introduction.asp