Do you swing your arms as you walk?

[AintNobodyHereButUsChickens]

I don’t, but I was walking behind a woman yesterday who did, she was swinging her arms like a marching soldier only not as stiff. She was wearing a big puffy coat so the rustly sound of her sleeves rubbing against her body made me want to rip my ears off and I wondered how she could stand it!

Do you swing your arms? Is it a conscious thing that you can stop if you wanted to?

Yes, my arms just move naturally when I do.

Huh? It’s a normal part of walking. People do it to different degrees (moving their arms more as they go faster usually) but keeping your arms rigid and straight down would be really quite weird.

It's a normal part of walking - not doing it, especially one side only, can be a sign of Parkinsons Disease!!

I was just going to post saying that I tend to swing one arm more than the other and now you've got me terrified...

Yes I do.

Not enough, I've been trying to make an effort so do it more as there are significant health benefits/

It’s the sound which was the problem not swinging arms, you would be irritated the same if she had squeaky trainers.
And yes I do - about arms

Yes, although I'm generally pushing a buggy, but when I'm not yes they swing. Not a huge amount. It would look more odd to see someone with stiff arms walking along! They are supposed to, naturally.

Yes, I wear a Fitbit and counts my steps.

When I said I don’t swing my arms, I meant like the woman did yesterday. Mine are less swinging, more like swaying with the rhythm of my walking. I don’t swing my arms out like a marching soldier.

It's fitness walking. Very good for you.

I just did a practice walk in my kitchen-much to the dogs amusement.

I wouldn't say I swing them-they naturally sort of sway with my body but def aren't going up and down like a soldier.

I will review on dog walk...

Usually swing my arms
like a soldier usually means I am very very tired and trying to go as fast as I can

Not to de-rail but I was wearing birkenstocks last summer and they just started squeaking-I was already out and was trying to skulk home in them.

This very old man from across the road yelled over "you'll never make a spy"
I still laugh when I think of it...

Sorry! We are all different. I just know it was a feature of my OH's PD, but it went with a whole raft of other stuff which I am sure you would have noticed if it applied to you!

@ExcellentDaydream I'm the same.

This isn't the first thread I've seen started specifically to have a snidey dig at how someone else was walking. The last one I read was the OP being really unpleasant about a guy who was obviously power walking.

As I said on that last thread I"ve been openly mocked in the street for the way I walk - nothing to do with power walking or swinging my arms. And I learnt on that thread that having idiosyncratic walks was common amongst autistic people - I'm autistic.

Perhaps people should stop being so critical of how other people walk and just let them get on with something that ultimately is entirely the walkers own business .

I wasn’t having a dig at her! I was wondering how the sound of her coat rubbing on itself didn’t drive her up the wall!

Some noises bother some people more than others. Perhaps she didn't even notice it. Or perhaps she does but doesn't mind it.

Same here, my smartwatch picks up my step count a lot better if I increase arm movement.

Sorry but it comes over as you having a dig at her.

If she was annoying you that much couldn't you have overtaken her ?. Or if she was walking really fast dropped your pace a little so she drew away from you? Or could you have crossed over to the opposite pavement? I just think it's strange you walking behind her and being so invested in the way she was walking.

I'm disproportionately annoyed by this thread.

It's the double standards on MN.

If anyone dares to start a thread about how someone dresses - eg the thong bikini in the swimming pool , the outfits girls and young women wear that barely cover their erogenous zones etc- that have upset them they are told by a lot of posters that it's the woman's body, their choice and nobody has any right to comment. That the OP shouldn't even have been looking at them.

But then apparently it's fair game to comment on the looks of film actors wives. Or in this case how a woman minding her own business ,and fully dressed I might add, is walking down the street.

So which is it?

If OP was really interested in the style of walking that involves swing arms then she had absolutely no need to even mention this poor woman.

I’ve read and reread my OP several times to see why it could come across as me having a dig at her and I’m drawing a blank. Am I not allowed to wonder how she doesn’t get annoyed by the noise of her coat rustling?!

But who walks like this on a normal basis

I’m more puzzled at how invested you are in the fact that the OP noticed how someone walked and that it made her question how much arm swinging people did.

Good question..I've never noticed if I do or don't and I've only been on the planet for 60yrs🤷