Nordic Walking - Benefits, Pleasures and Advantages

Quite simply, Nordic Walking could be described as WALKING PLUS, or even EXTREME WALKING.

Unlike walking, or even running, Nordic Walking, which is walking with especially designed poles provides you with a whole-body exercise - lower body, upper body, plus a great aerobic workout - comparable to Nordic, or cross-country skiing

In most countries the English name - Nordic Walking - has been adopted and kept, but the Swedes have dubbed it stavgång, in Norway and Denmark it is stavgang, and to the Estonians it is kepikönd.

If you already walk, power walk, hike, run, or cycle, Nordic Walking will enhance your fitness level. In addition, walking with poles is a lot more interesting and engrossing than plain walking.

When you deal with Nordic Walking US, you can be assured of a customer service and experience that has been always rated as second to none. I have been running Nordic Walking US since 2004. I am also an ANWA-Certified Nordic Walking instructor and will be happy to teach you the most efficient technique to take advantage of these benefits.

I use and teach a modified European/ Finnish/American technique, which in my opinion offers the best combination for training and fitness.

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Had to give in to MySQL limits. Since the database exceeded the pre-set limit, the continuation of the diary resides here now. Link to the first, second, third and fourth parts of the diary are just below.

Results, so far - with no dieting, after 5,287.5 miles - lost some weight and body fat and in general I am staying in great shape due to regular Nordic Walking. This diary was started on May 16, 2005, as a way to keep track of my walks both publicly and for my own, private reference. Just think what kind of results YOU could achieve with Nordic Walking and a rational diet!I have also gotten faster, as proven by steadily tumbling personal records.

On June 6, 2009 I have been persuaded by Gottfried Kürmer to switch at least partly over to a regimen recommended by an Oxford University study, which proposes conducting relatively intensive workouts for 30 minutes a day - seven days per week. In reality, I usually walk four days per week, mixing 30 + minute workouts, with longer walks.

Therefore, my optimal mileage will hover around 15 miles per week, instead of the earlier 25.

The 1st part of The Nordic Walking Diary

The 2nd part of The Nordic Walking Diary

The 3rd part of The Nordic Walking Diary

The 4th part of The Nordic Walking Diary

I wonder whether you ever thought that walking, hiking, running, or cycling, while great cardiovascular exercises, pretty much only exercise your lower body?

I have thought about it many times, while lugging a heavy pack over the Appalachian Trail, running through the Death Valley, or riding my bike in a great many different places.

I have even contemplated getting one of those hand-cranked bicycles to provide me with an upper body workout. Have also taken up kayaking, at least partly for the very same reason.

One sport that is not only enjoyable and beautiful, but which also exercises most of the muscles of the body is cross country skiing. Unfortunately, even with the record snowfall that we had this past winter, it is still largely a seasonal sport.

That said, when I actually discovered (no, I didn’t invent the sport) and taken up Nordic Walking in 2004, all of the above dilemmas were magically resolved. Despite the fact that I still very much enjoy skiing – both downhill and cross country, hiking, backpacking, cycling, kayaking and a number of other activities, Nordic Walking has provided me with an all-encompassing, enjoyable exercise activity, that can be practiced pretty much all year-round and which exercises about 92 percent of the body’s muscles.

Isn’t it about time that you also explored the possibilities that Nordic Walking has to offer?

Many people strive to go faster and faster, to beat their own best times for a given route, or distance, or to try to win a race. I have done both and still time myself on Nordic Walks. It is sometimes good to know how fast your workout was and kind of fun to beat a record – your own, or someone else’s.

But what, besides beating records could be defined as “success” in the case of Nordic Walking?

I tend to think that getting in shape, losing weight and staying healthy through Nordic Walking is a much bigger achievement, than beating a record, or winning a race.

Speaking of races, there seems to be a growing number of marathons, which allow a Nordic Walking division. I have no problem whatsoever with that, but since one could cover the distance in about the same time without poles, while expending less energy, Nordic walkers should compete within their own division, as they would definitely be handicapped in comparison with walkers, race walkers and the like, who would be expending considerably less energy and getting a lesser workout as well.

As a matter of fact, if you actually are Nordic Walking in an intensive way, getting the optimum workout and burning calories like crazy, unless you are in a superb condition, you shouldn't even be able to do it for let's say: more than 1.5 hours, before getting totally worn out. If you can do it intensively and longer, you are either a superb athlete, or you are not Nordic Walking hard enough.

On the other hand, much longer walks with poles are generally possible, if you do not make them very intensive. It is probably more beneficial as far as conditioning is concerned, to perform a hard, almost strenuous 30-minute Nordic walk, than a relatively relaxed two-hour one.

In short: It is entirely up to you to decide what Nordic Walking can do for you, but in my opinion it is not only one of the greatest year-round conditioning exercises around, but it is also an outdoor activity, which you can practice almost anywhere and it is just plain fun!

As usual, before starting any exercise regimen, you should consult your physician.

This revised and updated article was originally posted in 2006

Nordic Walking means walking with poles. Many elements of ordinary walking become more effective with poles and the walking technique becomes more balanced.

Nordic walking is so effective as a whole-body exercise, that I let my gym membership lapse several years ago and haven't been back there since.

If your goal is to lose weight, improve your general fitness level and even build some muscle, you owe it to yourself to give Nordic walking a try.

A general rule of thumb as far as the length of poles is concerned is that the forearm should be almost parallel to the ground with the arm angle at about 100 degrees, while gripping the handle and the tip of the pole next to the ankle joint. More specific pole fitting should be done with the help of a good instructor.

It is also highly recommended to take classes with a qualified and certified instructor, in order to fully benefit from what Nordic Walking offers and to avoid picking up some wrong habits, which might require extra work later to eliminate.

This story appeared in "The Local" - Germany's News in English.

The pugnacious pig bit three people who were walking through a Grunewald area park in Berlin's western Charlottenburg-Wilmersdorf district. Police were first alerted to the boar at 10 am when a man called emergency services to say he’d sustained a bite to his leg in the wooded park.

An hour later Berlin's 110 service got a call from a 56-year-old woman who said her hand had been bitten by a boar and she had warded the savage swine off with her Nordic walking poles.

That's still another, documented use of Nordic Walking poles, besides the obvious fitness and social benefits.

At this point police dispatched a city hunter to track down the ornery creature, but he was unable to find the boar before another victim, this time a 32-year-old woman, called emergency services to say a boar had bitten her hip around 3 pm.

First of all, we would like to wish a Happy, Healthy and Fit New Year to everyone

Think of all of those elliptical trainers, exercise bikes and other fitness equipment, which are gathering dust in people's basements, closets and garages. I have a couple of those items as well and they do not seem to be getting much use around here at all.

My Nordic Walking poles in turn get used almost every day. Surprised? Don't be. Nordic Walking poles are compact, relatively inexpensive and very effective fitness devices, which actually tend to get USED and to a great advantage.

They are in fact "pocket-sized gyms", enabling all the exercise that all of those other devices provide and which, in addition, can be taken anywhere.

For those, who would much rather exercise in the great outdoors, instead of their living rooms, or basements, or in stuffy gyms, Nordic Walking offers the optimal combination of both aerobic and muscle exercise for the entire body.

We have just received a nice letter from Google, saying that we are among the most popular search destinations on Google Maps.

Along with the letter, a rather large sticker was provided, with the QR code, that’s scannable by mobile phones - including the iPhone and Android devices, such as my Droid.

Haven't decided yet, whether to put it on window, on the car, or maybe I just should frame it :)

I am re-posting this story, as there seems to be a growing number of people interested in creating some sort of a Nordic Walking club in our area

I was wondering if anyone in Northern Virginia, Maryland and in the Washington, DC area in general would be interested in starting some group walks.

I would be willing to lead them, even provide a few initial pairs of loaner poles, some basic training for beginners, etc, at no charge. You would have to provide your own transportation, of course.

We could meet in different places in the area, lets say, once a week, twice, or even once per month. Let me know what you think, before we get too specific. Either simply send an email (link below), or if your are a registered user of this site - post a comment right under this story. E-mail

Re-posted with some clarifications

Tom Rutlin - a pioneer of Nordic walking, which in 1988 he termed "Exerstriding" advocates the straight arm "plant" technique.

David Downer - links to whose websites you can find right here at Nordic Walking US, also uses and teaches this method.

The International Nordic Walking Association (INWA) in turn teaches the bent arm plant. I have heard that Exel reps (INWA=Exel) have been teaching the straight arm technique, although their website still shows graphics, where models have radically bent arms...

The American Nordic Walking Association (ANWA) also teaches the flexible arm, European technique.

There was I time, when I too used and advocated the bent arm plant, but that has changed a bit. Despite Gottfried Kürmer's - one of the best Master Nordic Walking coaches suggestion to actually bend the arm, I am continuing the relatively (but not completely) straight arm technique. I must say though that Gottfried's teaching did transform my arm plant into a more flexible one than before.

I would like to emphasize that the arm should not be rigid, but be allowed to bend to a limited degree at the elbow, in order to maintain the fluidity of the stroke.

Let me try to explain why I believe that a modified straight-arm technique works best.