5 Simple Things to Make Your Walking Easier

IMPROVE YOUR WALKING OVER 60

If walking has been feeling a little harder lately, you’re not alone. Many people over 60 notice that walking starts to feel less steady, more tiring, or just different from how it used to feel.

The good news is that a few small changes can make a real difference. In this gentle exercise session, I walk you through 5 simple things that can help make your walking feel easier, steadier, and more confident.

What You’ll Need

• A sturdy chair or bench to hold on to

• A step - a household step or a small exercise step works perfectly

The 5 Things We Work On

1. Posture

Many of us spend a lot of time in a forward, hunched position, it’s easy to fall into when we’re doing things at home. But poor posture makes walking harder than it needs to be.

The correction is simple: gently bring your shoulders back and down, squeeze your core by pulling your belly button to your backbone, squeeze your glutes, and imagine a string pulling the top of your head toward the ceiling. Take a breath and relax into that position. The more you practice it, the more natural it becomes - because you’re building the endurance of the muscles that hold you upright.

2. Big Toe Strength

This one surprises a lot of people. Your big toe plays a key role in propelling you forward when you walk. When it’s weak, you lose that push-off and can end up with more of a shuffle.

The exercise: stand tall, place one foot slightly back, come up onto your toes and push your big toe firmly into the ground. You can take your shoes off to feel it better. Do 10 reps on each foot, then practice the full rocking motion - heel strike, roll through the foot, push off the toe - just like walking. If you have bunions or arthritis in the toe, do this gently and only within a comfortable range.

3. Leg Strength

Stronger legs make walking easier, less tiring, and safer. We work on this in two ways:

Sit to stand: Sit towards the front of your chair with feet hip-width apart and knees in line with your toes. Start with your hands on the armrest, lean forward slightly, push up, stand all the way up and squeeze your glutes, then slowly lower back down. Do 5 reps with the armrests, then 5 with your hands crossed over your chest. A higher chair makes this easier to start with - you can gradually lower the height as you get stronger.

Calf raises: Standing behind your chair, rise up onto your toes and lower back down. Do 10 double-leg calf raises, then progress to single-leg calf raises - aiming to work up to 10–15 reps on each leg. Your calf muscles are crucial for walking, so this one is worth staying consistent with.

4. Step Control

This exercise helps with more than just flat-ground walking - it’s also great for stepping off curbs, going downstairs, and moving on uneven ground.

Stand on a step next to something sturdy to hold on to. Slowly lower one foot to the ground by bending the standing leg - don’t just drop down. Then step back up. The key word is slowly. Do 6–8 reps on each leg. As you get stronger, you can increase the height of the step to make it more challenging.

5. Balance - Single Leg Stance

Every step you take, you’re briefly balancing on one leg. So improving your single-leg balance directly improves your walking.

Stand tall, hold on to your chair or bench, and lift one leg up. Hold for 20 seconds. If you need to keep holding on, that’s fine - note how often you grab on and try to reduce it over time. Work your way up to 60 seconds without holding on. When you can do that, you’ll notice a real difference in how steady your walking feels.

How to Get the Best Results

The key with all five of these is consistency. You won’t notice big changes after one session - but if you come back to these exercises regularly and gradually push yourself a little further each time, you will see improvement. Your walking will get easier, steadier, and less tiring.

Move at your own pace. If something doesn’t feel right, ease off or skip it. And if you have any concerns about your balance or joint health, check with your doctor or physiotherapist before starting.

Press play and let’s work through all 5 together.

Move at your own pace. Pause if needed. Come back anytime.

Let’s keep moving together.

Mike

You can start watching it and join me HERE.

These gentle exercises will help you feel more confident and stable when walking.

Move at your own pace. Pause if needed. Come back anytime.

Let’s keep moving together.

Stay moving and stay happy without reason.

- Mike