Nordic Walking

Toad100

Hi all,
As I have a back problem and find walking any distance difficult I have thought about starting nordic walking. Has anybody done this and if so how effective has it been?

Levedi

Do you mean ellipticals? I have minor low back pain and I like the elliptical at the gym a lot.

If you have access to a pool you might try that. My brother has a herniated disk and he swims nearly every day. It's one of the few exercises he can do. He swears by it for loosening up back muscles and strengthening his core and cardio strength.

Toad100

Hi Levedi, nordic walking is a bit like skiing without the ski's, you walk as normal but use poles to help propell yourself along. I do like swimming and living close to the beach I'm just waiting till the weather warms up abit as its a free source of exercise I can use at any time and at the moment the English Channel is a bit cold!

casseh

I think that anything that gets your moving and gets your heart rate up would be beneficial.

tekiegirl

Nordic Walking sounds interesting to me. I'm looking into it )

Beegale

I've been Nordic walking regularly for over a year now and can highly recommend it! Its great for posture and great for fitness. The use of the poles engages your core muscles meaning that you burn more calories than walking without the poles. The poles also give stability coming downhill. taking pressure off hip and knee joints and once you've walked up a steep hill with them you'll wonder how you ever managed without them! I am very lucky and have a Nordic walking instructor based in the town I live in. I would recommend getting a few training sessions booked with an instructor just to ge the technique right as this should help avoid injury.

Hope that helps!

A

Toad100

Thanks Beegale, I'm looking for an instructor now.