Are you in Canada? Click here to proceed to the HK Canada website.

For all other locations, click here to continue to the HK US website.

Human Kinetics Logo

Purchase Courses or Access Digital Products

If you are looking to purchase online videos, online courses or to access previously purchased digital products please press continue.

Mare Nostrum Logo

Purchase Print Products or Ebooks

Human Kinetics print books and Ebooks are now distributed by Mare Nostrum, throughout the UK, Europe, Africa and Middle East, delivered to you from their warehouse. Please visit our new UK website to purchase Human Kinetics printed or eBooks.

Feedback Icon Feedback Get $15 Off
Skip to content
  • Call Us

    800.747.4457

  • Hours

    Mon-Fri 7am - 5pm CST

  • Contact Us

    Get in touch with our team

  • FAQs

    Frequently asked questions

Human Kinetics
Search Log in Cart
Menu
  • Browse By Subject
    • Browse By Subject
    • A-F
      • Active Aging
      • Anatomy
      • Aquatics
      • Athletic Training and Therapy
      • Biomechanics
      • Coaching and Officiating
      • Dance
      • Fitness and Health
    • G-P
      • Health Care in Exercise and Sport
      • Health Education
      • Kinesiology/Exercise and Sport Science
      • Motor Behavior
      • Nutrition and Healthy Eating
      • Physical Education
      • Physical Therapy/Physiotherapy
      • Physiology of Sport and Exercise
      • Psychology of Sport and Exercise
    • Q-Z
      • Recreation and Leisure
      • Sport Management and Sport Business
      • Sports and Activities
      • Strength Training and Conditioning
      • Stretching, Flexibility, and Recovery
  • K-12 / Higher Education
    • K-12 / Higher Education
    • K-12
      • State Adoptions
      • Find a K-12 Sales Rep
      • K-12 Review/Desk Copy Request
    • Higher Education
      • Adopting a Textbook
      • Find a Higher Education Sales Rep
      • Higher Education Review/Desk Copy Request
      • Custom Textbooks
      • Instructor Ancillaries
  • Professional Education
    • Professional Education
    • Continuing Education Center
    • PE Central Professional Development
    • Teacher Professional Development
    • Coach Education
  • Student Resources
    • Student Resources
    • Accessing Online Materials
    • Browse HKPropel Access
    • K-12 Online Resources
  • Discover More
    • Discover More
    • Newsletters
    • Scholarly Journals
    • Blogs
      • Excerpts
      • Active at Home
      • Buying Guides
      • Dance
      • Learning with HK
      • Physical Education and Health
      • Strength, Conditioning, and Fitness
    • Podcast
    • Webinars
    • My Account
  1. Home
  2. Excerpts
  3. Optimal positioning while walking
  • Fitness & Health
  • Sport & Exercise Science
  • Physical Education
  • Strength & Conditioning
  • Sports Medicine
  • Sport Management
  • Dance

Optimal positioning while walking

This is an excerpt from Walk Your Way Fit by Sarah Zahab.

Alignment With Walking

As we move through our walking pattern, we want to maintain as much of this optimal positioning as pos­si­ble. Walking is a dynamic form of movement, and our postures ­will shift and change with each step. Jaime Sochasky Livingston, Certified Athletic Therapist and cofounder of Neuro Reconditioning and the educational com­pany ReconditioningHQ​.­com, shares this:

A good walking posture pre­sents as proper alignment through the foot/ankle, knee, hip on one side with the pelvis and torso/spine, and the opposite side upper limb swing providing an efficient body position in space and effective control and coordination of the center of gravity. On a single leg, the pelvis and spine can be said to be maintained as an inverted “T” (figure 4.6) when in an efficient walking posture. This allows for efficient limb dissociative movement, having a stacked trunk/cylinder positioning to provide anchors for our limbs, and helps to optimize good breathing and efficient joint motion.

Figure 4.6 Inverted T. Courtesy of John Zahab.
FIGURE 4.6 Inverted T.
Courtesy of John Zahab.

The brain is a key component to consider when it comes to walking. Movement is governed by the brain, and walking posture is reflexive in nature. Sochasky Livingston explains:

Walking is a pattern that resides in the procedural memory area of our brain. That is to say that 99.9 ­percent of our standing and walking posture is controlled reflexively. To have efficient and effective standing and walking motion, our reflexes, and the centers that provide feedback to the brain, must be optimal as well. The areas to be maintained and optimized are ­those that control our brain’s sense of itself in space, its ability to coordinate the body relative to gravity, and the visual field and interpretation of the surrounding environment.

For example, as a person ages, they often begin to bend forward, which can be due less to a weakness or postural habit and due more to a lack of peripheral vision, as bending forward allows the visual field to cover the ground better in front of their feet. Hence, by improving their peripheral vision, their body ­will often no longer need to reflexively bend forward, their posture ­will improve and, by extension, so ­will their walking efficiency. By improving any of the feedback areas and reflexes you can help improve the overall pattern. An efficient ­walking motion ­will look smooth, with an upright torso, and has rhythmic, balanced, dynamic limb motion and smooth breath pattern.

Our brain and bodies need coordinated efforts to produce smooth, efficient motion. Most of the time, the signals and pathways are clear and connected. If ­we’re experiencing pain, discomfort, difficulties with balance, or changed walking patterns and symmetry, seeking professionals to assess and provide care, including visual and vestibular drills, may be helpful. Pay attention to alignment during strength exercises, which supports and reinforces optimal positioning. In chapter 9, ­we’ll explore vari­ous strength exercises to help support and strengthen our bodies. Setting up our alignment and posture well before we start ­will be key.

More Excerpts From Walk Your Way Fit

SHOP


    HK INSIDER

    Get the latest insights with regular newsletters, plus periodic product information and special insider offers.

    JOIN NOW


    Latest Posts

    • Outdoor recreation and adventure activities lead to positive health outcomes for children
    • Schools offer a wide variety of adventure programs for children
    • Using sport to change society
    • Despite progress, equity remains a pressing challenge for women in sport
    • What today’s athletes expect from coaches
    • Barriers to youth participation in physical activity and sport
    Back to top

    About Our Products

    • Catalogs
    • Special Offers
    • Newsletters
    • Report Piracy

    Services

    • Review/Desk Copies
    • Customer Service
    • Accessibility
    • Business to Business

    About Us

    • About Human Kinetics
    • About Lotus Books
    • Career Opportunities
    • Become an Author

    Contact Us

    1607 N. Market Street
    Champaign, IL 61820

    p: 800-747-4457 / f: 217-351-1549

    CustomerSupport@hkusa.com

    • Facebook
    • YouTube
    • Instagram
    • TikTok
    • Pinterest
    • Twitter
    • LinkedIn
    Payment methods accepted
    • American Express
    • Apple Pay
    • Diners Club
    • Discover
    • Google Pay
    • Mastercard
    • Visa

    © 2025 Human Kinetics.
    • Terms & Conditions
    • Privacy Policy
    • Product Safety
    • Safe Harbor Policy
    • Returns Policy
    • Shipping Policy
    • Continuing Education
    Human Kinetics Virtual Assistant