I first discovered walking backwards while perfecting my ‘moonwalk’ in the 80’s. My favorite place to practice is at the mall before the stores open. The aisles are wide and clear, and the floor squares help one stay straight. Until now, I’ve never had an issue, but these are strange times. This morning, a security guard with a bulletproof vest and holstered gun stopped me, saying that someone found me ‘suspicious.’ Headline? “Gray-haired gal caught walking backwards in local mall.”
When retro-walking first appeared during the early 19th century, people did it on a dare or a bet. Nowadays it’s an actual technique used in physiotherapy to relieve back pain, knee problems and arthritis. Studies suggest that it positively affects our cognitive abilities such as memory, reaction time and problem-solving. Researchers in the US and Europe are currently testing it to see if it improves sports performance. For the diet-conscious, it burns more calories than walking forward!
Dr. Janet Dufek, an expert in biomechanics, says that walking backwards for just 10-15 minutes per day over a four-week period increases hamstring flexibility. It also strengthens muscles in the back responsible for spine stability and flexibility and reduces the stress placed on the knee joints. The range of motion at both the hip and knee is greatly reduced because a forward gait begins with heel contact. A backwards gait begins with toe contact so less impact is felt at the knee joint. Since the ankle joint absorbs the most shock, it strengthens your ankles in the process.
Studies show that participants who are used to stepping backwards have faster reaction times! This is likely because their brains are already conditioned to performing such an incongruous task. Additionally, the prefrontal cortex, responsible for our cognitive skills, is especially active when stepping backwards. Although I can easily walk a half mile backwards, my reaction times aren’t so speedy. Or maybe they’re speedier than they otherwise would be?
It's a bit tricky to retro-walk alone so I suggest finding a partner. I asked two of my favorite young people, (pictured above), to try it. Like me, they learned that after about 30 steps, “You get a creepy feeling.” Continue longer and your head starts to ache from the stress of all the new navigation happening in your brain. Is it worth it? Just ask the guard I talked into trying it this morning.