WHERE SHOULD YOU LOOK WHEN YOU WALK?

I often see older people looking down at the floor as they are walking. They are looking for hazards they might trip on. This is a very dangerous practice and will actually make it more likely that you will fall. The best way to walk is to look straight ahead. 

But how do you see the tree roots and the sidewalk cracks if you are not looking for them? This is an incredibly important question. I have the answer for you, but:
  • First, we need to understand how dangerous it is to look down at the ground as you walk: The brain thinks the body wants to move in the direction you are looking, so when you are looking at the ground that's where the brain things you want to go. This makes the body really unstable and throws balance off in the process. 
  • Second, the action of tilting your head to look down is very destabilizing. Limit head motion, especially if you are prone to dizziness. See Beware of Head Movement for more information.
  • Third, the answer to where to look when you walk is a complex one: To keep fall risk down, use your eyes instead of your head as you do two things at the same time, be aware of hazards near us and be looking down the road toward where we are going (just like you do when you drive a car). The most important of these is looking out straight ahead. The effect of doing that versus looking at the ground is startling.

We had a vivid example of what looking down at the ground really means while caring for my mother-in-law. When she lived with us, we would walk her by hand around the house. If she looked down as she walked her body became extremely unstable. If we weren't holding onto her she would have fallen. But when she looked straight ahead instead, her body became far stronger and more able.

How can we become more aware of our immediate surroundings without looking down directly at them? There are several skills that can help us:
  1. Survey the distance you have to travel before you begin your walk, looking for especially tricky places. During your walk, pause to resurvey your field. Stop walking while surveying.
  2. Shift your eyes downward from time to time to check for nearby hazards, but do not tilt you head to do it. Your head remains upright while you lower your eyes (beyond your glass frames). Read more about this technique by clicking on the article Beware of Head Movement.
  3. Restrain head motion. If you need to move your head for any reason, stop walking first. And then find something to hold onto while you move your head.
  4. Use your peripheral vision to become more aware of your immediate surroundings while still looking ahead in the direction you are going. 
Peripheral vision versus eye shifting: Both are helpful.
  • Peripheral vision is being able to see without central focus. Most of us focus on an object straight ahead but we do not notice the periphery. Try sitting with your hands in your lap. Look straight ahead and focus on a small object. While focusing try to "see" your hands in your lap without moving your head or eyes. Try then to bring your arms out to the side and up over your head, and watch them out of the corners of your eyes as you again focus straight ahead.
  • Eye shifting is basically rolling the eyes up and down (for our purposes) and focusing all along the route. Practice rolling your eyes from straight ahead to down on the ground in front of you and vice versa.
  • Glasses: The frames of glasses cuts off your vision downward whether peripheral or from eye shifting. Concentrate on being able to see past your frames.
  • Face Masks: The advent of the pandemic has presented a big problem. It is very hard to see what is near you on the ground if you have a face mask on. It is actually quite dangerous to cut off your vision this way. The fix is to stop moving when walking to tilt your head down to see your immediate surroundings. This runs agains all prior advice but is better than not being able to see because of the mask. Do make sure to stop moving while perusing.
Where should we look when we walk?
  1. Start out by observing the territory you will be traversing before you move, noting any possible hazards.
  2. Pause for a few moments after you stand up to get your bearings before you begin walking.
  3. Look straight ahead in the direction you are traveling as you walk. Shift your eyes downward to view the ground nearby if necessary. Use your peripheral vision to sense the same thing. 
  4. Make sure to pick your feet up as you walk. There is a temptation to sense hazards by sliding your feet tentatively along the ground. It is FAR safer to pick your feet up so that the foot comes directly down onto the ground instead of shuffling.
  5. Pause and look over the territory ahead at any time. Stop moving forward while doing this.
  6. Practice walking using these methods. Do so in a safe environment where there is something sturdy to hold onto while you practice. 
What should we practice? Practice these one at a time. As you improve, put them together. Always hold onto something while practicing. An ideal place to practice is a hallway that has a hand rail on the wall or your kitchen counter.
  • Practice looking straight ahead while walking (i.e., practice not looking down while you walk),
  • Practice sensing the ground near your feet using your peripheral vision while at the same time focusing straight ahead,
  • Practice shifting your eyes downward without tilting your head.
  • Practice where to look while wearing a face mask.

Two Quick Tips:
1) Pull your abdomen in as you walk to stabilize yourself.
2) Do not walk and talk at the same time. Do not turn your head while walking. Keep all your attention on walking.

As we get older we have to be smarter in order to be able to do the things we want to do. Being smarter means using our logical processes while doing everyday actions like standing up from a seated position or walking across a parking lot. But there is an incredible silver lining that makes up for all the effort of thinking. The more conscious we are the better life is. The more we really see what's in front of us the more alive we are. Some people study for many years to learn consciousness. For those of us older it is a path for staying young and being happy.

If you are having difficulty walking then the second DVD of the Building Better Balance series is for you. You learn how to walk much more easily and at the same time pick your feet up so not only is walking better but you also fall less.

Updated April 5, 2021.