Nordic Walking Guy's 3 rules

What does it take to achieve your goals through Nordic walking? You need to follow these three rules  to build fitness through Nordic walking.

  1. Walk with purpose!
  2. Be consistent!
  3. Don't eat like a teenager!
In case you're interested: Another book about Nordic walking from Amazon in Kindle and paperback. In addition to technique lessons, it discusses different kinds of workouts and planning to achieve goals.
Available at Amazon: Leki is an established manufacturer of Nordic walking poles. This is a classic set of adjustable poles.
The dork factor

If you're the only one in your neighborhood out Nordic walking, you might feel self-conscious about what you look like. To the initiated, it does look a bit strange, and some men might not be interested in doing something that looks more suited for old ladies.

I'm a West Point graduate and a 20-year Army veteran, so I'm one of the last people who wants to look like a dork doing this sort of thing. However, I've tracked my health numbers long enough to know that Nordic walking has had a healthy impact.


When you start to experience the benefits over time, you'll start to realize results are more important than appearance. At a certain point, you'll start to lose that self-consciousness, and you just won't care what other people think. In fact, you'll have an experience like mine: I was out walking one morning, and I saw another fellow out with 2 poles. I greeted him and asked how he got started, and he said he saw me out walking and decided he wanted to do that as well.
From the book: "Walking itself is the intentional act closest to the unwilled rhythms of the body, to breathing and the beating of the heart" (Rebecca Solnit, Wanderlust: A History of Walking. Available in hardcover, paperback, Kindle, and audio).

Why I became a certified Nordic walking instructor

I began Nordic walking a year and a half ago because it was a full-body low-impact exercise. I became a certified instructor through the American Nordic Walking Association (ANWA) because I wanted to share the sport with other people.

Some people who can benefit are obvious:
  • Senior citizens who don't need jarring or extreme exercise.
  • People rehabilitating from injury.
  • People who want to lose weight.
  • People who want to manage their cholesterol.

Others who can benefit are athletes, especially large strength athletes looking for cardio without the impact of running and the monotony of aerobic machines in a gym.

One issue caught my attention: the obesity epidemic. A Huffington Post article said there aren't enough specialists to treat the increasing number of obese people. The main points were:
  • 38% of people in the US are classified as obese.
  • Obesity is related to a number of illnesses and other conditions.
  • The US health system rewards treatment instead of prevention.

Nordic walking, because it's exercise, is preventive. How can we be motivated to take up the sport?
  • We can do it outside and enjoy the weather.
  • We can do it in groups and enjoy each other's company.
  • We can do alone and enjoy a time of reflection.


The preventive aspect of Nordic walking should be motivation enough because it feels worse to be sick and have to go through treatment.

Stress, child development, and well-being

I came across an article about research suggesting maternal stress affects motor skills in expectant women. Some points made in the article:
  • The researchers tracked 2,900 expectant women, who reported stressful events at 18 and 34 weeks.
  • After the children were born, the researchers tested the motor development of the children at ages 10, 14, and 17.
  • The children of mothers who reported more than 3 stressful events scored lower on motor skills tests.
  • The researchers also found that stressful events later in pregnancy affected motor development more.
  • Poor motor skills can affect other areas of children's development and later lives.
  • Financial stress was a very common stressor.

Some tidbits I've come across over the years:
  • My wife and I took a course at our church called Financial Peace University that emphasized staying out of debt. I'm sure there are other such programs offered in communities. This happened to be the one we took.
    • The point was that debt, specifically credit card debt, was a major source of stress.
    • We've been successful at managing our credit card debt, and other people in that course have gone to a cash only lifestyle to stay out of debt.
    • That usually involves follow the adage: Use it up or wear it out; make it do or do without.
  • I've seen where researchers say that prayer supports, among other benefits, better health and stress relief. The spiritual is oft neglected in our hurry-up world. There are a number of resources for prayer that can get you stared.

It goes without saying exercise is an important antidote to the negative effects of stress and anxiety. I would like to suggest that Nordic walking can be a core activity for dealing with stress. Here are some thoughts on the relationship between Nordic walking and stress:
  • Expectant women can enjoy the benefits of full-body exercise because Nordic walking is low impact.
  • Nordic walking facilitates reflective mindsets because you're outdoors and in natural surroundings. Pray on your own? The outdoors, especially trails, provides a great environment for that.
  • You compete against yourself, not others, when you're Nordic walking. That means you can focus on improving against your own efforts and tailoring your efforts to your needs and goals. That in itself can be a stress reducer.


Nordic Walking Guy's 3 rules: Rule 3

What does it take to achieve your goals through Nordic walking? You need to follow these three rules  to build fitness through Nordic walking.
  1. Walk with purpose!
  2. Be consistent!
  1. Don't eat like a teenager!

Those were the days. Multiple pizza slices followed by an ice cream sundae and washed down with a sugary soft drink. For most of us, that doesn't work anymore, nor does it do great things for our bodies. Rather than give you a list of things you should and should not eat or get an argument started about different kinds of diets, I'll just remind you that you already have the basic knowledge to improve your diet. Consider making it a social thing, sharing ideas with friends in forums like Facebook and exchanging information during meetups. You can do it!

Diabetes doesn't have to stop you

I came across this article about a college football player who has diabetes. That's not a trivial thing: he plays on The University of Alabama's Crimson Tide, one of the elite college teams in the US. They train hard, and the games are grueling with high impact collisions. He actually wears his insulin pump during games.

That made me think about the benefits of Nordic walking. Chronic diseases like diabetes don't have to stop you, and physical activity yields benefits if you're managing chronic illness. That's where Nordic walking can help. The full body effort is invigorating, and the exercise's low impact means you can do it regularly.

Nordic Walking Guy's 3 rules: Rule 2

What does it take to achieve your goals through Nordic walking? You need to follow these three rules  to build fitness through Nordic walking.
  1. Walk with purpose!
  1. Be consistent!
  1. Don't eat like a teenager!

It's almost time to welcome in a new year. You know the drill. The gym fills up in January, the refrigerator and pantry empty of junk food, the library books stack up as we kick off our resolutions to exercise more, eat less, and get better about reading instead of watching TV and surfing the Internet.

There are many suggestions for keeping your New Year's resolutions, so here's another one for staying consistent with your Nordic walking. I like to vary the routine, walking doing intervals (alternating fast walking with moderate walking) to vary the effort. That keeps my interest level up. Some people like to listen to their music. Others prefer to walk with others and socialize. The important thing is to find what keeps your interest level up so you can keep walking.

Nordic Walking Guy's 3 rules: Rule 1

What does it take to achieve your goals through Nordic walking? You need to follow these three rules to build fitness through Nordic walking.
  1. Walk with purpose!
  2. Be consistent!
  3. Don't eat like a teenager!
Nordic walking is fun, but you need to walk with purpose to get the most out of the activity. It's so fun, in fact, I tend to fall into daydreaming and letting my mind wander. There's nothing wrong with that, but, if I'm not careful, my purposeful stride will turn into a leisurely stroll. My stride shortens, and my arm swing slows.

That's not what I'm out there for.

I remind myself to get back on pace by looking forward toward where I'm going and trying to feel the push with my poles. Looking forward and feeling the push helps me get back into a purposeful stride. Feeling the push brings me back to what I'm out there for: to reap the benefits of Nordic walking.
It brings to mind how we get through our days. We stay focused on what we're trying to accomplish, and we can do that by looking forward to our goals and also by reinvigorating what we're doing to get to those goals.




One piece poles vs adjustable poles

Via Nordic Walking Blog, an argument for one-piece poles:
When it comes to Nordic walking, hiking and trekking poles, one-piece poles prove to be safer, lighter and much more durable. Skiers know that one-piece poles are the only option for skiing. And ski racers want one-piece poles that are light and yet super strong.  Cheap and flimsy 2-piece and 3-piece poles with twist-locks or flip-locks tend to rattle, vibrate and/or collapse unexpectedly.
Click the link to see more: NORDIC WALKING BLOG: Nordic Walking Poles - NOT All Nordic Walking, Hiking And Trekking Poles Are Created Equal
On the other hand, beginners will find adjustable poles useful for determining their best pole length. There are a couple of ways to determine pole length, but beginners would probably prefer to tweak the length as they walk until they’re satisfied with the length. Then they can feel confident about investing in a set of one-piece poles.

Nordic walking and osteoporosis

Via York Nordic, a short item about Nordic walking and osteoporosis: “With a new outlook on life and a fitter body that feels healthier and happier, Kay is on her way to completing a 21km half marathon with her Nordic Walking Poles.” Click the link to see more: Nordic Walker Spot Light… Kay - York Nordic Walking Poles - Top Quality Nordic Poles