Because of the extra involvement of muscles involved in applying force to the poles at each stride, leading to higher oxygen intake and more calories burned (up to 20% more than walking), Nordic Walking has been described by some as “Walking Aerobics”. It is an excellent cross-training exercise. You can easily reach 75% max. heart rate, and easily stay in your fitness zone. In a summary of the research done on the benefits of walking with poles as compared to walking without, Professor Raija Laukkanen (Director of Exercise Science at Polar Electro Oy, Finland) concluded that “walking with poles improves mainly aerobic fitness, muscular endurance, deceases neck-should area disabilities and pain, and can have positive effects on mood state. In order to improve muscle power, uphill walking is required. Pole walking affecting body coordination and motor fitness has not been published. Walking with poles is a safe and fun exercise mode and fits everybody." You’ll need just a minimal amount of equipment: Nordic Walking poles with hardened steel tips for use on grass, trails, the beach, and with snow (plus removable rubber tips (paws) for hard surfaces); comfortable demi-gloves. No club membership; no ‘regular’ classes, though an introductory class is a good idea just so you get the basics down; no special “duds”; and you can walk pretty much anywhere! Using poles to walk up hills reduces the weight on your legs by as much as 25%! People who know say that Nordic Walking is great fun, and feels easier and less tiring than normal walking! Even walking up hills is easy. Makes sense! Using poles to walk up hills actually reduces the weight on your legs by as much as 25%! More than seven million Europeans (including 19% of Finns) Nordic Walk daily. According to some estimates Nordic Walking is “the worlds fastest growing exercise method”, and is growing in popularity in USA, Canada, Australia. Many chiropractors / physiotherapists / osteopaths and GP's as Nordic Walking an exercise therapy, often following a course of treatment. It’s true! There’s apparently a whole new breed of “Nordic Runners,” and this is fast becoming a sport in itself. Associations: INWA (International Nordic Walking Association) http://inwa-nordicwalking.com/ International Coverage in blogs: David Downer: http://nordicwalkingnewsblog.blogspot.com/ and www.nordicwalkingecommunity.com Claire Walter: http://nordic-walking-usa.blogspot.com/ "Nowadays popular also in Japan." “And in China; pole manufacturer Exel is building a new factory there." Surfing Comments On Nordic Walking: “My dad came back from Finland with a set of these poles. One day when he was walking around the block one of the neighbors called out ‘Hey Pentti, you forgot your skis.’” “Anyone in China nordic walking? I am in Shanghai and surrounded by high buildings, where can I nordic walk?” “Although some people in the US have expressed the opinion that walking with two poles is silly, my question is whether walking with one pole, or a cane looks better? The answer is an unequivocal - No way! “ “As an American Nordic walker who lives in Norway, I see, even here, one of the biggest drawbacks to the sport becoming more widespread: it's seen as an 'old people's' sport.” “Until Nordic Walking gets itself out of this stereotype and is positioned along the same lines as skiing and other more 'youthful' sports, it won't become anything but the marginal sport it is. It doesn't matter if there is an excess of 'stick choice' or tiffs about nomenclature, once people see what the sport DOES they'll make their own choices. It needs to become trendy. It needs to be marketed as a total body workout, with no mention of age or infirmity. And, after all, it's just walking, it's not brain surgery or anything. Sometimes the Nordic Walking sites make it look so much more complicated than it is.”
CNWA (Canadian) http://www.cnwa.info/
In his Blogger profile, Downer introduces himself as "an INWA Nordic Walking Instructor, author and publisher, who is passionate about serving the worldwide Nordic Walking community and providing quality information and services.”
Walter describes herself as “a Colorado-based, award-winning travel, food and snow sports writer who was just bitten by the blogging bug late in 2006.”
Food For Thought:
A recent study co-authored by human bio-mechanics specialist Federico Formenti at the University of Oxford, provides evidence that Finns were the first people to use skates - 5000 years ago! - and they made them out of BONES? Anyone who has lived in the boonies of Finland through a winter can understand why Finns might well lay claim to what is today a wildly popular snow sport in many parts of the world. Five thousand years ago, however, it was not for 'fun' that resourceful Finns invented 'bone skates'. It was, according to Fomenti, to save travel time!
Finland is a land of lakes. Lakes freeze over. Snow is deep. Ice is sleek. Get stuck in snow walking, or glide swiftly over the ice? Glide - good idea! How to do that? Brainstorm! Bones! And from a pile of bones (horse? reindeer?), and dried leather (straps), the first skates were fashioned.
For more on the evolution of the "skate", click here.
Photo credit: Federico Formenti
Video Gem: Ever tried cross-country skating? Now this does look like fun!
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Sisu is a Finnish term that could be roughly translated into English as strength of will, determination, perseverance, and acting rationally in the face of adversity. The equivalent in English is "to have guts", and indeed, the word derives from sisus, which means something inner or interior. However, sisu has a long-term element in it; it is not momentary courage, but the ability to sustain the same. To anthropologists[citation needed], it is an appropriate invention for a cold northern land, dotted by thousands of lakes, and long under threat of being overwhelmed, militarily, linguistically and otherwise, by more powerful neighbours. Similar concepts exist among other cold-weather peoples, such as the Inuit and Chukchi.[citation needed]
(excerpted from Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia)
Video Gem: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Vqz3_5ekjBw
