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 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.

Saturday, December 1 11:00am Saturday, December 8 11:00am

Photo of me by the Capitol Christmas tree, taken by Noel Paige

This event was organized by Nordic Walking US, together with UC Tours.

We met at the L’Enfant Plaza Metro stop – on Maryland Ave. near the Air & Space Museum (Blue or Orange Line).

Duration: 1.5 hours

Poles were not required for this demonstration. Loaner poles were provided for the first 6 walkers to register.

Swix, LEKI and other brand poles were also available for sale before and after demonstration.

UC Tours Calendar

Cultural Tourism DC Calendar

On December 8 we walked through the middle of the Mall, towards the National Gallery of Art skating rink, then east, to The Capitol, admired the Christmas tree, around the Capitol, by the Supreme Court and the Library of Congress and back towards the Air and Space Museum.

The weather turned out to be much better than expected. Sunny and pleasant. About 49F. Photos coming up soon.

Would the fact that we are having summer-like temperatures in Virginia in October, along with an extreme drought and the melting ice caps be enough? Or maybe the well-deserved Nobel Peace Prize awarded this year to IPCC and Al Gore?

I wonder if the happily polluting Chinese and Indian economies, or the millions of SUV-driving Americans would agree that the present bout of global warming is at least partly caused by humans?

Some say that about 1,000 years ago the Vikings encountered a “Green Land” in Greenland and that the climate fluctuations are nothing new and are simply what Mother Nature does, even without our input.

That’s at least partly true, with an important caveat: The present warming trend is proceeding much faster than all of the previous ones and unless we help Mother Nature by very quickly reducing the emissions that we are so enthusiastically creating and pumping into the atmosphere, there’s a distinct and frightening possibility that unlike the previous Earth cooling and warming episodes, the present trend might become simply irreversible.

This past Sunday, I have returned from a nearly month-long vacation in Europe. As usual, the first stop was Poland, the country of my birth.

With every passing year Poland is moving further and further away from the depressing years of communist rule. Instead of grey, crumbling streets and sullen-looking people, it is now a vibrant, dynamic country, where people actually have the time, money and motivation to do such things as Nordic walking!

After a week in Poland, we headed for Madrid, Spain and points south - to Toledo, Cordoba, Seville and Granada. Then back to Poland, through Germany.

As always, when air travel is involved I had my LEKI Travellers with me and Nordic-walked at every opportunity.

Marko Kantaneva has made available his 'Original Nordic Walking' book.

This informative and very nicely illustrated book has sold over 50,000 hard cover copies in Europe.

It is now available in English as an e-book.

A sample of the book is available by clicking the 'Taste It' link in poleabout.com, a very cool Nordic walking website.

PoleAbout.com

To remember and honor the victims of the tragic events of April 16, 2007 Virginia Tech has created the Hokie Spirit Memorial Fund.

Hokie Spirit Memorial Fund

This article was contributed by Bob Moon, an accomplished Nordic walker and a concerned citizen of our planet.

As all of you are aware our planet is suffering the consequences of global warming from massive amounts of CO2 being released into the atmosphere. There is no longer any debate as to whether or not we are destroying our environment.

This is bigger than any political party or any political personality. There are literally hundreds of scientific papers documenting global warming, and almost no credible detractors, the few of which are on the payroll of oil companies.

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.

In many European countries, and particularly in Germany, in places, where just a few years ago joggers, walkers, cyclists and inline skaters ruled, you can now see lots and lots of Nordic walking enthusiasts.

No matter where you go: forest trails, city streets, parks, beaches, or mountains, it has become obvious that Nordic walking has become an everyday sight and a fact of life.

During my recent European trip, I have seen people using poles in the most unlikely of places.

Nordic Fitness Magazine thinks that as many as 5 million Germans will be active Nordic Walkers within the next two years. Don't you think that the Germans might be onto something?