Take a step in the right direction and get downsized this spring. Pair up with a set of poles and walk off the extra pounds.
According to elite athlete Gerry Faderbauer, Nordic walking is the optimal fitness exercise that works off weight and stress,
and boosts health and fitness levels.
"Unlike walking or even running, Nordic walking gives your whole body a total workout, including your upper body," says Faderbauer,
a personal trainer who's got NHL goalie Curtis Joseph walking Nordic style during the summer months to stay in shape.
And best of all, since it engages more muscles - 600 versus 300 - more calories are burned. "Normal walking burns about 280
calories per hour while Nordic walking burns 400 and up depending on the intensity of the training," says the 38-year-old
Olympian and three-time world rowing champion.
Faderbauer, who moved from Austria to Aurora five years, not only talks the walk, but walks the talk. He promotes and teaches
the sport, but he also practises Nordic walking as a form of cross-training to stay in shape for the Austrian rowing
championships he participates in every year.
The 40-time Austrian national rowing champion founded the Canadian Nordic Walking Association last year and its gaining ground.
"Walking is your body's most natural form of exercise and the poles add resistance," says Faderbauer, adding that the
specially-designed, light-weight aluminum poles propel the body forward during the exercise.
The low-stress, fat-burning activity offers numerous health benefits, he says, including weight loss, increased cardio,
improved tone and fitness, stress reduction as well as well as reduced neck and shoulder tension, without risk of injury.
Faderbauer visits fitness clubs, walking groups, sports complexes and community centres near and far where he hosts workshops
and provides the tools and basic technique to boost walking routines, as well as to certify instructors.
The advantages of the sport include the fact that it can be done year round and adapted to individual fitness levels -
from beginners to fitness enthusiasts who are looking for a total body aerobic workout that attains the same heart rate
levels as running or jogging produces but without the damaging load on knees and other joints.
The sport can be enhanced by combining the poles with rollerblading, and intensified by adding the poles to running and
snowshoeing, he adds.
Nordic walking is a Finn fitness craze that's becoming a rage throughout Europe. "It was originally developed in Scandinavia
in the 1930s by cross country skiers using their poles during summer training programs. It let them stay in shape even when
there wasn't snow," he says, adding that it caught on in the '80s with elite athletes and remains a preferred training method.
Faderbauer is making strides in growing its popularity here. He's got Susan Shaver hooked - the 62-year-old consultant from
Ballantrae, ON, uses Nordic walking to balance out her long-distance cycling and weight-lifting routine.
Shaver, who competed in marathons and triathlons until 10 years ago, loves the convenience, efficiency and effectiveness
of the sport. "It provides a great cardio workout without the high impact of running. It's actually very deceiving - people
think walking isn't much of a workout but when you add the poling and the speed, it's an excellent workout."
And it burns oodles of calories so that she can indulge in her other favourite pastime - eating. "I love cookies - actually
I love anything sweet. I just love to eat so I have to work out," says Shaver, who is nursing a knee injury right now but
regularly goes out for hours of Nordic walking through the miles of forest around her home.
So take a walk on the healthy side. According to numerous studies, walking an hour a day is associated with a reduced risk of
heart disease, breast cancer, colon cancer, diabetes and stroke.
Take a walk on the healthy side. Grab some poles and take these tips from Nordic walking expert Gerry Faderbauer:
- Adjust the poles to the right length. The arms should form a 90-degree angle.
- Swing your arms in the opposite way of the motion of your feet when walking - when the right leg moves forward,
the left arm goes forward too. This is basically the natural movement of the body when walking.
- The tips of the poles remain always behind the body. Never use the poles in front of the body (like with hiking poles).
Think about pushing yourself forward like in cross country skiing.
- Don't bend your arms too much. The swinging motion should come out of the shoulder, not out of the elbow.
- Release the handle of the pole after passing your hips. Grab it again while you move your arm forward. This gives us
the pumping motion in the hand. Poles without a strap cannot be used for Nordic walking.
- Keep the chin up during walking - line up your spine and walk upright.
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