‘I’ve learnt to walk properly and feel taller and fitter than ever’

The mistake most people make

So that’s a huge bonus from a very subtle change, and Worthington says most people are missing out on these benefits because of one, or sometimes both, feet turning out when they walk.

“It’s very common,” he says. “Almost everybody will not be reciprocally rotating in some way, and that’s the same goal for all bi-pedal people. The principles are the same for everybody. You want the hip rotating inwards over the stance leg” – that’s the one you are standing on – “and then the torso has to counter rotate the other way.”

How you can self-diagnose your walking issues

Now, I had a guru to analyse my walking issue, but even without such elite help, it is possible to diagnose yourself.

“Observe your foot strike as you walk along,” says Worthington, “and you should be able to see it. Or, if you want to be really fancy, look at your footprint, with a wet foot on a tiled floor. Another telltale thing is to look at your shoes. See if your heels are wearing down unevenly.”

Experimenting at home, I would advise doing this: walk about eight normal steps, watching your own feet. Can you see one or both of them turning out? 

If you spot the flaw, walk the same distance slowly, still watching your feet, but consciously adjusting your hip, or hips, with each step, so your feet hit the ground pointing forwards, symmetrically. Do it again at your normal speed, concentrating on keeping the feet straight and the hips turning in slightly, head up. Can you feel it?

To really understand the difference, try walking along like a duck, or a ballerina, with both feet turned out exaggeratedly and a hand resting on the front of each hip. 

Then compare that to your new, reciprocally rotating style (reci-rota as I call it), with your hands in the same place.

In duck feet mode, your hips are completely rigid as you walk, compared to full reci-rota, where you will feel them roll magnificently. You will feel slinky…

What to do with your arms

Once you’ve got that down – and from then on, try to do it consciously every time you walk so it becomes your default gait – you need to get your arms involved.