Walking is a great low-impact exercise
For those of us who suffer with muscle and joint problems, either from an existing health condition or simply from too much impact sport, walk your way to improved health and fitness with Nordic Walking UK.
This low impact, full body workout is suitable for everyone, regardless of their age or fitness level and offers a host of health and fitness benefits.
Gill Stewart, leading expert at Nordic Walking UK and author of ‘The Complete Guide to Nordic Walking’ offers her tips from this must-have book on how this form of outdoor fitness can help build strength and overcome any aches and pains:
Nordic Walk for improved joint health: Walking shifts pressure from joints to strong muscles, reducing arthritis pain. Gill says, “The fact that the load is spread over the whole body and you feel lighter on your feet makes Nordic Walking fantastic for skeletal conditions, including arthritis, osteoporosis, joint replacements and weak or painful joints”. Endurance runners often suffer with joint, bone and muscular pains from the impact of running. Nordic Walking can be used in addition to training plans to help ease the aches and pains involved with high impact activity.
Nordic Walk for enhanced muscle tone: Simply put, walking increases muscle tone. The better your muscle tone, the less likely you are to feel the effects of arthritis!
Nordic Walk for good posture: The Leki poles used in Nordic Walking encourage you to stand up straight, and not to slouch. “Posture improves noticeably after the first few sessions, and permanently with practice. The stomach/waist area is improved by a combination of better posture and calories burned.” Nordic Walking has also been found to reduce pain in office workers by relieving pain in the neck and shoulders.
So don’t let aches and pains get in the way of your workout; add Nordic Walking to your fitness regime this winter for improved health and wellbeing benefits.
‘The Complete Guide to Nordic Walking’ by Gill Stewart is now available on Amazon and at www.nordicwalking.co.uk, £19.99
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