This story is contributed by Marlin & Shirley Heckman, Hillcrest Residents, Certified ANWA Nordic Walking Instructors from La Verne, California.
This story is contributed by Marlin & Shirley Heckman, Hillcrest Residents, Certified ANWA Nordic Walking Instructors from La Verne, California.
Age is not an issue in Nordic walking. If you are able to walk you can do Nordic Walking.
About 50 residents at Hillcrest, a continuing care retirement community in La Verne, California, are using Nordic walking poles.
Ages of the Hillcrest Nordic walkers range from 68 to 94. Some walk everyday, at a steady pace, while for others a leisurely pace is more walking than they have been able to do comfortably for some time. Nordic poles add stability to walking, take pressure off of joints and give full body exercise.
Mary is in her 80's and was leaning into a cane, walking with much joint pain. Her daughter encouraged her to purchase some poles. Mary took them to her orthopedic surgeon who told her that if she would use them regularly she would be able to delay or even possibly avoid surgery. Mary walks everywhere with the poles, even one mile downtown to join a Friday Morning Breakfast group. She enthusiastically shares the benefits of Nordic walking poles with everyone.
Judy has nerve damage to lower legs and feet from doses of chemo therapy too large for her body weight. She is now cancer free and is walking daily with her Nordic poles and her neighbor as a walking buddy.
Hillcrest residents,Marlin and Shirley Heckman, who have been using poles for hiking for about 10 years, began Nordic walking at Hillcrest about a year ago. As people saw them walking every day they began to ask questions about the poles and interest grew at Hillcrest.
Heckmans are members of the American Nordic Walking Association (ANWA) and both of them are Certified ANWA Nordic Walking Instructors. They continue to donate their time presenting Nordic walking concepts and techniques to the Hillcrest community one-on-one and in groups.
http://www.nordicwalkingus.com/article.php/CaliforniaSeniorsTakeUpNordicWalkin