Back Pain When Walking?
Get Your Heart Pumping
For the strongest and healthiest heart as you get older, exercising to challenge your cardiovascular system is essential!
While you should include some high-intensity Zone 4 or 5 activities—like heavy strength training, jumping, plyometrics, HIIT, or running hard for 2–5 minutes—most of your time exercising will be in Zones 1, 2, and 3.
These are light to moderate intensity levels.
Here’s a quick breakdown of the Cardio Zones:
Zone 1: This includes walking or stretching. You’re moving, but your heart and lungs aren’t working noticeably harder.
Zone 2: This is where power walking, very light jogging, or strength training come in. You’ll feel your heart and lungs working, but you can still carry on a comfortable conversation.
Zone 3: This includes jogging or strength training. Your heart and lungs are working harder, and you may need to take breaks depending on your fitness level.
A simple way to boost your heart health and hit Zone 2?
Take a brisk walk!
JUST ONE THING
You don’t need any fancy equipment to walk, and you can even do it indoors during the colder months.
Plus, it’s an activity almost anyone can do!
But many women experience low back and hip pain while walking.
Your JUST ONE THING for enjoyable walks:
To help with this, take a quick break during your walk to stretch.
The right stretches can ease tightness in your hips and lower back, so you can keep walking without pain.
Here are two simple stretches for INSTANT RELIEF.
No bench or kneeling required! 🙌
How you do it:
The Hip Stretching Duo: Standing Hamstring Stretch & Standing Hip Flexor Stretch
- Standing Hamstrings Stretch: Kick one heel out straight and press hips back for a stretch up the backside of your leg.
- Standing Hip Flexor Stretch: Stagger your feet, tuck your pelvis under and press your hip forward for a stretch through the front of your hip.
- Do each stretch 1-3X per side for 3-5 deep breaths.
Extra Tip:
Make sure you listen to the tips on how to do the stretches in the video. The second one is a tad bit tricky at first, but keep at it. You CAN put your foot up on a bench if you need to!
Using a bench, if available, might achieve a slightly deeper stretch for you. Simply place your heel up on the bench for the hamstrings stretch, and your forward foot up on the bench for the hip flexor stretch.
Did You Know...
- If you frequently experience low back pain while walking, you might be dealing with tight hip flexors AND weak glute muscles. Hear more about that in this video.
- Choose a hilly route to vary your cardiovascular intensities throughout the walk, trying to hit more zones than just Zone 1 or 2.
- While brisk walks are great for your heart health, strength training should still be your #1 fitness priority. Walking doesn’t improve muscle mass, bone density, and joint mobility like strength training can - all the things that are so important to prioritize as you get older!
Until next week... Be strong
