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Active Living with Arthritis: Urban Poling to the Rescue!
Urban Poling is the Best Medicine
(By Barb Gormley. Originally published in CARP magazine)
If you’re living with a chronic health condition—or simply want to feel more vibrant—Nordic walking, also known as urban poling, can be a powerful tonic. The rhythmic swinging of Nordic walking poles activates your arms and core muscles turning a humdrum stroll into a full-body workout.
The technique is relatively easy to master: lengthen your stride slightly, swing your arms from the shoulders (not the elbows), and press down and back on the base of the poles’ handles. Et voila! Feel every muscle instantly engaged, your body energized, and your spirits lifted.
“Our sales are spiking because people are looking for alternatives to exercising at fitness clubs, recreation centres and pools because of COVID-19,” says Mandy Shintani, co-director of Urban Poling Inc., a Vancouver walking pole manufacturer and distributor. “Nordic walking is an ideal exercise for the times because it’s an outdoor fitness activity that is low cost and really enjoyable.”
Don’t be fooled by flimsy imitations from big box stores or confuse Nordic walking poles with hiking poles, she adds. Only good quality Nordic walking poles will give you all the health benefits and be hard wearing.
Almost every day Urban Poling hears how its poles have changed their customers’ lives. Here are three of those stories:
Balance, Confidence, Stamina
The steady patter of her feet and Nordic walking poles hitting the ground are happy sounds for Toronto retiree Merrilee Wilson. Her outings with her poles at a local park have become what she calls a “bright light” in her day.
“The poles give me the balance assistance I need while improving my posture and upper body strength,” says Merrilee, who is managing multiple injuries from a catastrophic car accident and usually travels via scooter.
She got her Nordic walking start in a six-week beginners program taking her first tentative steps with the Urban Poling ACTIVATOR poles, which provide maximum stability. She graduated to Nordic walking poles once her strength and balance improved.
“My instructor was a wonderful motivator and extremely patient,” says Merrilee. “I now walk for 20 minutes with my poles, a monumental achievement. I hope to show my appreciation one day by paying it forward to another beginner.”
Weight Loss, Friendship, Joy
“In 1998 I was diagnosed with clinical depression, and then I lost my husband after a long struggle with cancer,” says Carol Smith, who lives in Saskatoon. “Before I knew it, I was 100 pounds overweight.”
When a physiotherapist friend suggested she try Nordic walking, she was afraid it would be too painful for her overburdened joints. Instead, she loved it immediately.
“The poles take a tremendous amount of pressure off my knees,” she says. “I started poling regularly, moving from 20-minute to 60-minute walks, and I joined a weight loss group. Instead of socializing over food, I scheduled Nordic walking sessions with my friends.”
Today Carol has shed the 100 pounds and her knees are pain-free. “But best of all, I experience regular post-workout endorphin highs that help manage my depression and carry me through my day.”
Posture, Strength, Endurance
If you have arthritis or the simple aches and pains that can come with age, keep your body moving, says Fran Betts, a retired healthcare worker and older adults fitness instructor who lives in Wallaceburg, Ontario.
“Twenty years ago I began dealing with the beginnings of arthritis in both of my feet,” says Fran. “Simple walking was becoming too painful until I tried Nordic walking.”
To her amazement she found that the poles allowed her to offload body weight into her upper body, and she could walk for longer periods with much less discomfort. She gradually increased her walking distance each week. Eventually she even felt good enough to Nordic walk in a 10 KM fundraiser.
“As I’ve become better at the technique, I’ve noticed improvements in my posture and in my entire body’s strength,” she says. “The best news is that I’ve been able to get back to walking the local trails with my husband and dog, something I thought I might never do again.”
For information on purchasing Urban Poling poles and products, including The Urban Poling Ultimate Guide to Nordic Walking, and to view video of Nordic walking in action, CLICK HERE.
Nordic Walking/Urban Poling in Action (video)
Fit to Travel
Sea, Sand & Soul Fitness Retreat Returns! (Sept. 15-20, 2023)
A Chat with Cari (video)
Recovering from Breast Cancer with Nordic Walking
When Susan Bjork joined the Living Well With Cancer Nordic walking program at York Hospital in Wells, Maine, at the suggestion of her oncologist, she had no idea she would discover her all-time favourite physical activity. ClICK HERE for this story I wrote for Living Beyond Breast Cancer.
New Year's Resolutions Worth Keeping
If you’re keen to start the New Year with a focus on self-improvement, here are some suggestions:
get stronger
improve your posture
spend more time in nature
learn and master a new skill
make new friends
explore your town or city
improve your balance
boost your self-esteem & confidence
Hey, have you heard about Nordic walking?
If you live in Toronto, please join my happy group of Nordic walkers by registering for a session of my Nordic walking classes.
What a year you could have—accomplishing this entire list of goals with just one good decision!
The Arnold Approach to Self-Improvement
"Do a little more today than you did yesterday, celebrate yourself, and then do a little more tomorrow and celebrate again. That's how you stick to a resolution."
Arnold Schwarzenegger
Feb 20, 2022
New Year's Resolutions…Powerful or Pointless?
I hope 2023 is off to an excellent start for you!
One thing on my mind this week is the relationship between resolutions, goals, and systems.
Resolutions — We all know that these generally don’t work. If the object of your resolve is so important, why wait until January first?
Goals — These are good, especially if they’re specific, actionable, and include a deadline. But it can be easy to lose focus along the way.
Systems — These are excellent and are the framework you put in place to move you toward your goal.
Systems remove the need to remember and to be organized.
Better yet, systems eliminate the stress associated with playing defense with willpower all day and/or the guilt that arises from not following through.
Systems don’t have to be complicated.
For example, my goal last year was to floss my teeth more regularly. (Did you know that flossing can help prevent heart disease?)
The system I put in place was to simply leave the dental floss on the bathroom counter by my toothbrush instead of hiding it away in a drawer.
Now, just seeing the floss when I brush my teeth is a trigger.
So ridiculously simple, yet so effective.
Maybe your goal is to be more active. Maybe your system could be to join a weekly fitness class or group.
Make it an activity you enjoy, and then open yourself up to new friendships within the group.
After all, friends make friends accountable: “See you next time!” “We missed you last week!”
Friends are also the best motivators and esteem builders: “You look great!” “Wow, your skills have really improved!”
21 Essential Things You Must Know Before Starting Nordic Walking
It's not hiking!
Nordic walking poles aren’t the same as hiking poles!
You can use your Nordic walking poles for hiking (confusing, I know).
It's easy to learn, but not that easy. It’s challenging enough to make it interesting, but not so tricky that it’s frustrating.
It's not just for women.
It's not just for seniors.
You'll need a lesson (or two or three) if you want to reap all the benefits.
The purpose of the poles is to super-charge standard walking not to provide assistance with balance.
It will quickly become obvious if you are right- or left-handed. With a bit of time your non-dominant arm will catch up.
You can do it in all seasons.
You'll heat up, so don't overdress.
You need to constantly keep your arms straight.
Your hamstrings and upper body will need a good stretch afterward.
Once you get moving and catch the rhythm, it can be hard to stop.
There are Nordic walking poles with straps/gloves and also strapless poles (my preference), but it’s all Nordic walking and all good.
You'll pick up the technique more quickly if you’re a cross-country skier or have marching-on-parade military experience.
It's the perfect activity to continue with as you age.
To modify the intensity, simply move faster or move slower.
Shouting, "You forgot your skis!" to Nordic walkers isn't very original at all.
When travelling by plane, your poles need to go in your checked luggage. Or you can walk through security using them as a walking device.
Like most things in life, you get what you pay for. Quality Nordic walking poles cost $100+, last for a lifetime, and will do their part to help you reach your health and fitness goals.
Nordic Walking 2021-2023 (video)!
How to Keep Exercising Through Winter's Ice, Slush & Snow
Good News About Walking and Dementia
The Guardian reports in its September 2022 article, “Step on it! Walking is good for health but walking faster is even better,” that "how fast you walk could be just as important for your health as how many steps you take."
A study with 78,500 UK adults found that by walking 10,000 steps a day "you could lower your risk of dementia by about 50 percent, and for cardiovascular disease and cancer, you’d be lowering it between 30 to 40 percent. Walking faster is even better for all outcomes - dementia, heart disease, cancer and death."
They also point out that "The first 5,000 steps does much more good than the next 5,000 steps and so on" - and if the first unit gives you one unit of good, the next unit is another half unit of good."
After you've hit the 10,000 step mark you may get fitter and feel even better but it won't guarantee better outcomes. The sweet spot is 10,000 steps.
Want A Healthier, Easier Workout? Look To Finland For The Answer
Urban Poling on CBC Radio
The interest in Nordic walking continues to be high as more people discover its multiple benefits: full-body workout, low stress to hips and knees, upper body and core conditioning, and more.
CBC journalist Antonia Reed, runner-turned-Nordic-walker, speaks to me and University of Ottawa researchers in this comprehensive interview. You can listen here!
Nordic Walking Beats Other Workouts for Heart Health, Says Study
The latest flurry of interest in Nordic walking has arrived with the publication of new research from the University of Ottawa Heart Institute.
Its conclusion is that all exercise is good, and some is better than none, but the health benefits of Nordic walking are superior.
The researchers found that Nordic walking is “statistically and clinically superior” to high-intensity interval training (HIIT) and moderate-to-vigorous intensity continuous training (MICT) in increasing functional capacity in patients with coronary artery disease enrolled in cardiac rehabilitation.
(Functional capacity refers to a person’s ability to perform physical tasks and is an important predictor of future cardiovascular events.)When compared directly, HIIT, MICT and Nordic walking have similar prolonged effects on disease-specific and general quality of life and depression symptoms. Yet, for increasing functional capacity, the prolonged effects of Nordic walking superior.
So grab your poles (and maybe a friend), use your very best Nordic walking technique, and get out there and enjoy this beautiful day!