Today started pretty decently, so I decided to go for a walk. I am trying to incorporate more movement into my morning routine. My cousin Mark has been working steadily to get me to move more first thing in the morning.
After roughly 5 minutes into this walk, I noticed that my hip was acting up. It was different than general soreness; it was a mild pain every time my foot hit the ground. I slowed my gait to shorten my stride and reduce the intensity of my heel strikes, and the pain subsided.
I checked my heart rate, and it had fallen well below where I wanted it. So, I quickened my pace. After a couple more minutes, the pain came back. I asked myself, "What is going on?"
I decided to try a brief experiment and switched from my walking pace to a slow jog. After only a few seconds, the pain went away. "Hmmm, this is interesting," I thought. I switched back to walking, and there it went again; that pain returned.
I switched back to slow jogging one more time, and the pain vanished. This was bizarre. I had not experienced this before, and was a bit stunned. So, I switched back to a slower walking pace, one that would alleviate the pain, and pulled out my phone.
I opened my Grok app in audio mode and asked, "Why would slow jogging affect my arthritic hip less than fast walking?" Grok came back with a very interesting reply.
Slow jogging puts less stress on your arthritic hip than fast walking because of how your body absorbs impact—it's all about the stride and landing.
Grok went on to explain that when you walk fast, the longer stride length, combined with the heel strike, sends a greater shock up your leg directly to your hip. In contrast, slow jogging allows the other muscles to absorb the shock. Your foot hits the ground more midfoot or forefoot, allowing the impact to be spread out.
In essence, fast walking puts more impact stress on my hip than slow jogging. Even though the slow jogging gets my heart rate higher, it puts less stress on my hips. The thought feels counterintuitive, but I did check a couple of the sources Grok used, and the biomechanics makes sense.
So, looks like my slow jogging is going to replace my fast walking. There is certainly a time and place for leisurely walks, but for my morning movement, I am going to stick with slow jogging.
My cousin is right, morning movement is a vital part of being healthy. If our bodies are temples to the Holy Spirit (1 Co 6:19 ESV), we should keep them as healthy as possible. If slow jogging hurts less than fast walking, then I will slow jog.
Have you ever learned something about your health or fitness that was counterintuitive to you? I'd love to hear your story.
—Daniel