I often ask people who don’t Nordic walk how they view it.
Some feel it’s ‘uncool’ because of using the poles (I’m not sure why), some have never heard of it and need an explanation, but most have an idea and are genuinely interested in how it works.
So I thought I’d write a blog to explain why we have such an enthusiastic, dedicated community of Nordic walkers and describe a few of the many benefits a total body workout like this will give you.
Nordic walking is perfect if you’re unfit
Nordic walking is a fantastic option for those of us who haven’t exercised for a while as it switches on and wakes up all the main muscle groups, creating a base strength in all areas of the body and encouraging excellent posture.
Nordic walking means you are exercising efficiently
It’s also an effective way to make sure you’re training all the main muscle groups – very few muscles are left out.
The technique is a ‘compound exercise’ which means you’re working for functional strength at the same time as cardio health. Plus compound exercises can be better for heart training because the body has to pump more blood around to oxygenate the muscles.
And if you miss a workout Nordic walking is perfect as you won’t be missing out on training a specific body section.
Nordic walking tones your body
As Nordic walking uses all the main muscle groups you’ll maximise your calorie burn, especially if you incorporate hills and/or faster bursts. Muscle is more metabolically active than fat, so strengthening muscle can help you tone up and burn fat faster.
And building skeletal muscle becomes ever more important as we age to prevent injuries and falls.
Nordic walking is ‘walking rehab’
Nordic walking allows us to train both sides of the body equally. This prevents overusing, overtraining or compensating with your dominant side and helps to isolate and correct muscle imbalances.
Nordic walking will leave you smiling
Exercise should leave you wanting more, not dreading the next session! Nordic walking is a highly effective total body exercise which builds strength and stamina whilst improving your self-confidence and mental wellbeing.
There are scientific studies galore and bags of research to back up the effectiveness of using walking as a fitness routine – add poles and you have an even more intense and powerful exercise. What’s not to like?
Ros Ingleby, Owner
Bristol & Bath Nordic Walking
You can find our favourite Nordic walking poles here and if you’re looking for our advice on good kit here’s our recommendations:
