Nordic walking and regular walking

A comparison of Nordic walkers and regular walkers (without poles) yielded some encouraging results about Nordic walking. Here's some information:

• Participants: 11 women, 11 men. Late 20s to early 30s.
• Distance: 1,600 meters on 200-meter track.

Results:

Dimension	Women	Men
Oxygen consumption	Greater than regular walking	Greater than regular walking
Caloric expenditure	Greater than regular walking	Greater than regular walking
Heart rate	Greater than regular walking	Greater than regular walking

There's why the results are interesting:

• The age of the participants indicates Nordic walking is worthwhile for younger people. The stereotype is that Nordic walking is only for senior citizens and people with chronic illnesses.
• The greater oxygen consumption and caloric expenditure comes from involving muscles in the upper body.
• The greater  heart rate means a stronger heart and the ability to get to a fat burning zone.

Most interesting is another observation in the study that the improvements came "without significantly increasing perceived exertion."

Give Nordic walking a try.

#NordicWalkingGuy