A great alternative to running or power walking.

The birth of Nordic Walking we owe to a Finnish biathlete, who, in the 70s of last century, driven by the need to prepare for a competition, invented a training which did not require snow or skis but allowed to practice the technique of walking, running and jumping with sticks. This workout, as cross-country skiing, involved as much as 90% of muscles. At the end of 80's there were attempts to promote Nordic Walking between sportsmen and in schools as well as various experiments were conducted in order to promote it, but the interest was low and it did not arouse real enthusiasm until the 90s ! It was registered and described as a new sport in 1997 in Finland and since then the popularity of this form of physical recreation continues to grow and spread throughout the world. The largest centers of Nordic Walking are located in Scandinavia, USA, Germany, Austria and Switzerland. The growing interest in Nordic Walking technique in many countries of the world, not only shows that it is a wonderful form of recreation, but it is also becomes more widely used and recognized in rehabilitation.

Nordic Walking is a fun and enjoyable form of physical effort. Everyone can find there something for themselves because NW is divided into 3 levels:

Level 1: health- At this level, workouts are not intense. It is an ideal level that allows a fast and secure way to desired physical fitness: it makes it possible to lose some weight and keep fit. During rehabilitation after an injury Nordic Walking will help you fully recover and be in good shape. Walking with sticks greatly relieves joints, especially knees, with every step you bear approximately 5 kg less than during the walk. We oxygenate our body and the movement becomes a pleasure. After a long day at work it is the best medicine for overload, headaches, spine and knee joints. More and more often NW is recommended for patients after heart attacks and surgeries, as well as patients with diabetes and diseases of cardiovascular system as wonderful therapy and rehabilitation. It is also ideal way for those who want to get rid of some body fat.

Level 2: Fitness- This level is dedicated to people who want to raise their fitness level. To improve strength and endurance you need to train 3-4 times a week for about 60-90 min. Also, adding a warm up at the beginning and stretching at the end of each session, you can burn about 400 calories during a one- hour workout, so it is more than during a run.

Level 3: Sport- This workout is aimed at really fit people who are looking for diversity in
their activity and whose sport level involves running, jumping and climbing stairs or hills. It is very good alternative for runners who want to strengthen upper body muscles.

PROFITS

This type of sport has many advantages and is enormously beneficial for our health as it results in:
-General health improvement
-Improving blood circulation thanks to which the oxygenation of the body is better
-Fat burning
-Improvement of physical strength and endurance.
-Elimination of disparities in muscle strength between upper and lower body (specially in runners)
-Making the workout less boring.
-Strengthening core, hands, shoulders back and legs muscles.
-Increasing the mobility of the upper spine.
-Relieving muscle tension in the shoulders and neck.
Thanks to the sticks, the load on the knees, spine and hips is lower by about 5 kg with each step, so it gives about 1,300 kg for every hour of workout. The Cooper Institute in Dallas in 2001 compared Nordic Walking with walking and it was discovered that during NW our body burns about 20% calories more than during a walk with the same intensity.

Walking technique:
Start walking with alternating step (right hand and left foot forward, then swap), if you have a problem with hands and legs coordination, try to walk with relaxed hands for a few meters, note that your hands automatically begin to sway in its natural movement. Then, take the sticks and repeat walking with relaxed hands; when your hands start to sway, make a move bigger and bigger. It sounds easy but many people have a problem with that, especially at the beginning of their adventure with Nordic Walking.

6 steps to a perfect walk:
1. Put the ends of sticks behind the legs line.
2. Learn how to let go and catch handles of sticks during the walk, thanks to which your blood will circulate faster.
3. When you keep belly button in and back straight, hips can rotate in a natural way, which is a great massage for your spine.
4. Keep your hands close to the body.
5. Put your heel on the ground first and toes last.
6. The moves must be smooth and dynamic, relax your neck.

Equipment:
To enjoy Nordic Walking you need just a good pair of runners and NW sticks. Ski sticks used at the beginning of NW are too long and inconvenient, they also pass on the vibrations arising from the impact of the ground to the joints. Now you can buy sticks designed especially to NW. But many unfair sellers basing on our lack of knowledge try to sell Trekking stick as Nordic Walking sticks. It usually happens because they are cheaper than NW sticks or NW sticks are not available at the moment but the sellers want to make money anyway. NW sticks have a glove at the handle while trekking sticks have a stripe, which is the main and very important difference between them because it has an effect on the walk technique (thanks to gloves we have a larger range of hands motion), also, the handle is shaped differently. NW stick are usually in one piece and are not folded like most of trekking sticks and most of NW sticks have replaceable ends, suitable for different surfaces ( snow, grass, rubble, beach). Thanks to greater interest in Nordic Walking we can find in shops many interesting additions which facilitate practicing of this sport for example: gloves, ends to the sticks, water bottles with belts, covers for sticks, pedometers or backpacks, but as I mentioned before for a start you need just sticks.

I recommend that type of physical activity to everyone who likes outdoor training. It is really good fun and very good full body workout. Just try and you will love it!!!

Read also:

10 Tips for a beginner runner

Shin sore? You can avoid it!