how to walk, part 2

In another post, I wrote about practicing how to walk correctly, because if you’re like most people, you don’t. Nonetheless, the muscles in your hips and legs are pretty skillful at moving you along. They let you roll over your feet, bouncing across the planet, day after day, year after year. But later in life, when you’ve got bone on bone compression, arthritis, or you fall and break a hip, you find out that mobility without stability isn’t good enough. We need both - especially in those hard working hips.
I practice stillness in the walking line as a way to maintain stable strength and balance in my hips, and it’s a practical, easy tool for anyone.

You’ve got to work at keeping the back foot facing forward - that’s the hard part. Lifting your arms isn’t required, but it makes your legs work harder automatically. You’ll wobble and shake at first, but stability builds quickly - your body wants to do it right. When you get good at it, close your eyes. A minute or two per day on each side is a good practice; longer if you like.
If you want to live with your own happy hips for the long game, you’ve got to practice having happy hips now.