Your Posture and Walking on a Treadmill

All of us over a certain age remember those phys ed videos where kids balanced books on their heads to practice their posture. Sure that looks silly but proper posture is essential when walking on your treadmill. Proper posture keeps your bones and joints aligned and your muscles and ligaments at just the right tension for healthy activity. When our posture is poor, we put unnecessary stress on our bodies. And if we exercise under that undue stress, injuries, pain, and strain may follow. We can even damage our joints with excessive wear — all due to poor posture. Proper posture also makes walking on a treadmill more efficient. It prevents fatigue because your muscles work more efficiently when they are properly aligned so you use less energy and can therefore exercise longer before tiring. Proper posture also prevents muscle aches because your muscles are in the optimal position as you are working out. 

Our posture when we move or exercise is called dynamic posture. For proper dynamic posture when walking on a treadmill, you should: 

• Stand straight and tall with your spine elongated.
• Pull your shoulders back and downward.
• Tuck your stomach in. Don't arch your back or push your hips forward.
• Keep your head level and look forward, earlobes in line with your shoulders. Don't thrust your head forward, lean backward, or tilt toward the side.
• Let your arms hang and swing freely at your sides from the shoulder (not your elbow). 
• Take natural strides with heel hitting first then rolling through to the ball of your foot and pushing off the ball into the next stride. 

Treadmill Max helps you maintain your posture when walking on a treadmill by improving your stability in your core so you can remain fully straight and upright as you walk. Without Treadmill Max, you may find yourself leaning forward, hunching over, or grabbing the handrails to maintain stability and feel secure, which will negatively impact your posture. Treadmill Max frees you to focus on maintaining that proper posture rather than worrying about staying on the treadmill.

Keep at it practicing this technique and you'll reap the workout benefits of proper posture. Just save the books for reading afterwards!

Read more on posture from the American Chiropractic Association.

Read more on walking technique from Harvard Medical School.