Sport and exercise science lecturer and MEd director at the School of Kinesiology, Christopher Lundstrom, PhD, was recently featured in Reader’s Digest Canada in an article titled “Walking Mistakes You Didn’t Know You Were Making.” The article addresses nine of the most common mistakes made while walking and provides tips on how to fix them.

When discussing the mistake of swinging your arms too much—or too little, Lundstrom’s advice is to use your arms to your advantage. “When walking, your arms act as counterweights to your legs” says Lundstrom. “While it’s natural to move each arm with the motion of the opposite leg, the movement should be just enough so your trunk isn’t moving back and forth and is nice and stable. The more vigorously you’re walking, the stronger your arm action is going to be. If you’re walking fairly leisurely, you don’t need very much arm motion.”

Read more of Lundstrom’s advice on walking here.