Walking

 You’re supposed to engage your glutes (butt muscles) when you walk. As Esther Gokhale, the posture lady, writes, “The buttock and leg muscles contract strongly to propel the body forward, thus getting the exercise they need while the back is spared unnecessary wear and tear.” She says that for us in industrial cultures “walking consists of a series of forward falls blocked abruptly by the forward leg. The gluteal and leg muscles are underused.” This “forward fall” type of walking jams the hip joint and every other weight-bearing joint. Now she tells me.

I’ve found it’s hard to think about contracting my butt muscles to propel me forward. But what’s easier to remember is keeping my back leg straight and the heel on the ground. When you do that, your glute muscles engage.

Here's an illustration showing you (too) many things to think about when you walk. 

Now I'm going to think about "leg externally rotated." Maybe it will keep my hips from caving inward, which is what I think caused my knee problems. 

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