What is Nordic Walking?

Nordic walking is becoming increasingly popular so here's the full guide.

In a nutshell, Nordic Walking is a normal walk made harder by introducing poles. They look a bit like ski poles.  Each stride makes you work harder than you would when simply pottering along at your normal pace. Nordic walking isn't some technique to employ when walking to the tube or bus on the way to work, it's for walkers looking to strengthen more muscles when walking in the countryside.

One of the benefits to Nordic walking is that it can be enjoyed all year around.  Despite it's links to skiing and Norway, the practice of Nordic walking occurred when cross country skiiers realised that they would lose shape during the summer, the out season.  They saw that those who employed this technique of "summer cross country skiiing" fared better over the Summer and did not let all those Summer BBQs do any damage.

Nordic walking has become increasingly popular in the UK in the past 10 years.  Those suffering with joint pain can see great benefits from Nordic walking.  Nordic walking is a full body Your normal walk in the country side or across a field uses 70% of your muscle mass.  Nordic walking can use up to 90% though, and those doing the activity can exert 46% more energy as you must exert force against the pole in every stride.

Besides helping joint pain, Nordic walking helps increase your heart rate, makes climbing hills and slopes easier, so is great for those planning a climb up Ben Nevis.  Nordic walking also improves the flow of oxygen to the cells and is beneficial for your core and balance.

Some advice though for those using Nordic walking to help with joint pain, make sure the poles are the same length otherwise you'll put unneccesary strain on your joints.

For a full list of Nordic walking guides, visit www.nordicwalking.co.uk

Below is an introduction video to Nordic walking hosted on Youtube: