Nordic Walking News

Get your heart rate up: Take a Nordic walk. “Nordic walking is unparalleled as an aerobic exercise because you’re not just using the major muscle groups of your legs and hips, but your core, shoulders and arms too,” Dr. Schaefer said. The regimen lowers blood pressure and improves the body’s use of oxygen. The basic movement — walking, using poles to propel your movement — can take some getting used to, but online videos or your local Nordic walking group can get you started. 

Nordic walking involves using poles to create a challenging workout that studies show can benefit heart health. Here's how to add it to your routine.

Walk with us!

Walking is having a moment. From hot girl walks to the 12-3-30 workout, walking is the latest fitness trend. But have you ever heard of Nordic walking? Imagine cross-country skiing but lose the skis, keep the poles, and walk instead. Nordic walking is not new, but it may be your new favorite workout.

(CNN)If you're looking for a cardiovascular activity that will get your heart pumping and improve daily life, running or interval training may immediately come to mind. To maximize your workout, however, you may want to give Nordic walking a try, new research suggests.

Nordic walking has been proven to reduce depression, anxiety, waist circumference and chronic pain, the report said. The exercise is also known to increase muscle strength, cardiovascular fitness and overall quality of life.

Picture a brilliant blue sky over a vast field of fresh, fluffy snow. The air is crisp and cold, and you’re suited up on skis, ready to propel yourself across the expanse of white for a day of cross-country skiing.

Now imagine that you’re in your own neighbourhood, mimicking the motion of cross-country skiing by using poles to push yourself as you walk along a trail or sidewalk. That’s called Nordic walking. It was originally designed as a summer training routine for cross-country skiers. Now Nordic walking is catching on in the United States as an exercise regimen, especially among older adults.

Cardiologist Aaron Baggish is all for it. He spent a year of work and study in Switzerland, where he says Nordic walking is a common pastime among older adults. "You go to the train station on Saturdays and there are droves of people over 70 waiting to go up to the mountains to walk with Nordic poles," says Dr. Baggish, director of the Cardiovascular Performance Program at Harvard-affiliated ­Massachusetts General Hospital.

Nordic walking, also known as pole walking, requires more effort to be applied to the poles with each step than conventional walking does. Upper body muscles are stimulated more during Nordic walking than they are during regular walking, which may cause considerable increases in heart rate at a given speed. When compared to walking without poles, it has been reported that Nordic walking may increase energy consumption by over 40%.

A recent study published in the Canadian Journal of Cardiology shows that Nordic walking is superior to other kinds of exercise in cardiovascular rehabilitation for improving long-term functional capacity