Weirdly I have taught and trained yoga to three Nordic walking coaches so far and it really seems to be growing in popularity. One coach I worked with was training in yoga to offer it additionally on her popular Nordic walking holidays and retreats.
Like any sport or activity there is some technique to consider but in essence it uses two walking poles used in a swinging rhythm to push the floor away and accelerate walking speed.
There are some squiffy claims around posture, lower back pain and cholesterol and some of the others such as increased health, strength and flexibility we could say about any activity we pursued.
One study split three groups of Nordic walkers, HITT and continuous exercise and interestingly it was the Nordic walking group who saw the greatest improvement in functional capacities ie daily active living.
What I do know is I am seeing quite a few people I teach come across it independently and try it out and they are thriving in terms of the social interaction and walking groups/trips and seeing a big boost in balance confidence around being out and about on different and uneven terrain.
As we age, have joint issues, illnesses and even incidents like strokes, it is imperative we regain our confidence, balance and return to activity and Nordic walking is a great place to start using the support of the poles to literally and figuratively move us forward, give it a google!
