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Nordic Walking, Who Needs Snow?

Nordic Walking, Who Needs Snow?. Presented by: John Porcari PhD UW-L & Bonnie Dau RN BAN BC. Disclaimer. My husband, Perry and I are owners of RevelSports.com, an online aerobic sports store, where our motto is to “Revel in Your Passion”. LEKI Trained Nordic walking instructors.

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Nordic Walking, Who Needs Snow?

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  1. Nordic Walking,Who Needs Snow? Presented by: John Porcari PhD UW-L & Bonnie Dau RN BAN BC

  2. Disclaimer • My husband, Perry and I are owners of RevelSports.com, an online aerobic sports store, where our motto is to “Revel in Your Passion”. • LEKI Trained Nordic walking instructors. • I certainly do have a bias regarding Nordic walking and want you to be aware of this up front. • This is why I asked Dr. Porcari to present his research today. He does not sell poles. He does research.

  3. Simply put: It utilizes specialized poles to engage the upper body and core in a “4-wheel drive” mode of rhythmical aerobic walking. What is Nordic Walking?

  4. Other names for Nordic Walking: • Walking with Poles • Walking with Sticks • Pole Walking • Ski Walking • Exerstriding • Balance Walking • “Summer Skiing” (in Finland where 20% of the population Nordic Walks regularly)

  5. Nordic Walking Vs Trekking

  6. Nordic Walking • The poles are designed to push off from the walking surface with the pole tips pushing from the front heal to behind the body. The poles act as an extension of the hands and arms engaging with the walking surface during the push off. The poles allow for a natural arm and shoulder swing while the legs stride in opposition. In this manner, the upper body and core becomes fully engaged in the walking motion. Thus, the 4-wheel drive analogy.

  7. Trekking • Poles are “planted” in front of the hiker. The arms and shoulders take the brunt of the impact of the pole plant. • The poles provide stability and support which helps to lessen the impact on the knees and lower joints when negotiating steep slopes and rugged terrain.

  8. Birkie Trek, Photo by: Darlene Prois Almost everyone can enjoy Nordic Walking

  9. The Younger Folks

  10. The Older Folks Birkie Trek, Photo by: Darlene Prois

  11. The Conditioned Folks Birkie Trek, Photo by: Darlene Prois

  12. And the Deconditioned Folks

  13. Enjoy Nordic walking almost anywhere, in town on sidewalks

  14. On a path in the woods Birkie Trek, Photo by: Darlene Prois

  15. Or on a scenic trail in the country

  16. Almost everyone can enjoy Nordic Walking • 2008 Birkie Nordic Walking Trek • 100 participants of all ages Birkie Trek, Photo by: Darlene Prois

  17. What’s so great about Nordic Walking? ? ? ?

  18. Characteristics of a Good Exercise • Involves total body • Improves cardiorespiratory endurance • Burns a lot of calories • Low impact • Improves muscular strength/endurance • safe • fun

  19. Engages arms, shoulders, back, legs & core (similar to cross-country skiing) Involves total body

  20. Improves Cardiorespiratory Endurance • 7-15 bpm higher HR • 20-25% higher VO2 values • ~ 10% higher % HR max value •  68-78% of HRmax in one study •  58-76% of HRmax in other study • Thus, if people have trouble reaching their target HR with regular walking, using poles may allow them to reach their target without having to run.

  21. Increase caloric expenditure, 20-25% more than walking at the same speed without poles Burns a lot of calories

  22. Low Impact • Decreases forces in the lower body by 25% 200 lbs x .25=50lbs lower forces per step 1 mile=~2000 steps x 50lb lower forces= 10,000lbs less force per mile (5 tons) • Less chance for foot, ankle, knee, hip, or back problems • Good for people with these problems or with arthritis in those joints.

  23. Improves Muscular Strength & Endurance • Our study found a 36% increase in muscular endurance, but no increase in strength

  24. Safe • Our study in cardiac patients found a 14 bpm increase in HR and a 21% increase in VO2 and caloric expenditure • BP went up 16mm systolic and 4mm diastolic; these increases were proportional to the increase in exercise intensity • There were no increases in ST depression, dysrhythmias or symptoms

  25. Miscellaneous Benefits • Lower perceived exertion (RPE) • Mixed results: • Several studies have shown that when walking at the same speed (e.g., 3.0mph)with poles, RPE will be lower due to the sharing of workload between the arms and legs. However, most times people walk faster and work harder when using poles (7-15 bpm higher HR and 20-25% higher VO2/kcal), thus RPE will probably be higher; both of our studies saw a 1.1 unit higher RPE using the poles.

  26. More Miscellaneous Benefits... • Better posture - people walk more upright 1. Steadman showed that when going downhill , with and without a backpack, because people walked more upright; the shear forces in the knee were 10-20% lower (the load stayed more over the center of gravity) 2. Better balance and stability on rough terrain

  27. Even More Miscellaneous Benefits... • In patients with peripheral arterial disease (PAD), maximal walking distance on the treadmill increased 150-304% when using poles (could do a greater volume of exercise) • They also had a lower perceived pain level at a given submaximal workload • Why? They could share the workload with their arms; thus their legs became less of a limiting factor

  28. Characteristics of a Good Exercise • Involves total body • Improves cardiorespiratory endurance • Burns a lot of calories • Low impact • Improves muscular strength/endurance • Safe • Fun

  29. Pole Components • Shaft, aluminum &/or carbon • Adjustable poles need to have a tested tried & true locking mechanism • ergonomic grip • specialized right & left glove-like straps with a great release feature (not all have this feature) • interchangeable baskets • specialized angled rubber tips (for pavement) • carbide flex-tips (for trail use)

  30. Adjusting the poles • Just remember: Righty-Tighty & Lefty-Loosey • LEKI Super Lock System provides: - optimum locking with less tightening torque than most adjustable poles - 300lb holding force on each pole

  31. Sizing your Nordic Walking Poles • When the pole is upright between your feet it should come up to the base of your sternum. (xiphoid) • When holding the pole upright with the rubber tip at your heal, your wrist should be slightly lower than your elbow.

  32. Basic introductory steps to Nordic Walking: 1 Walk your natural walk without poles, arm swing from the shoulders opposing the legs 2Walk your natural walk with poles, let the poles drag as you get accustomed to the feel of the poles in your hands 3 Feel the poles naturally grip the ground 4 Push the poles down & back when you feel them grip the ground 5 Take note of how the poles promote an upright posture as you walk

  33. Teach your patients about the benefits of Nordic Walking Birkie Trek, Photo by: Darlene Prois

  34. Any Season, Find a friend & go Nordic Walking

  35. Time to go for a Nordic Walk 1. Get a pair of poles 2. Size them to your xiphoid 3. Righty Tighty, Lefty Loosey 4. Put the correct right & left handed straps on your hands (as marked) 5. Unclip the straps **Bonnie, John & Perry will assist as needed 6. We will then follow the basic steps to Nordic Walking

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