There are lots of reasons to pick up your walking pace! Burn more calories. Finish your workout sooner. Get more health benefits. Walk a 5K (or any other distance) faster. Set a personal best!

Here are three tips that will get you walking faster.

Stand tall. A hunched posture makes it harder to breathe and inhibits leg swing. Imagine a wire attached to the crown of your head, and it is gently pulling you upward. Aim to increase the distance between your rib cage and your hip bones, lifting out of the pelvis so you can take deeper breaths for more energy, and your legs will swing freely.

Bend your arms. You’ll be able to swing your arms faster, which helps to increase speed. Because of nerve connections in the body, your arms and legs want to be in sync so when your arms swing faster, your legs speed up, too. For the speediest swing, keep your elbows close to your body, not winging out to the sides, and swing your arms forward and back, not across your body.

Take short, quick steps. Probably THE most common mistake people make when they try to walk faster is taking bigger steps. When your front leg lands far out ahead of you, it acts like a brake, slowing you down. Instead, if your front foot lands almost underneath you, you’ll roll right over it for a smooth easy stride.

Making these changes in your walk and practicing them will get you faster!