A test of Nordic walking for weight control involved 12 women in the Nordic walking group and 11 women in the regular walking group (no poles).
Findings:
- "...body mass, body fat and diastolic blood pressure decreased in both groups..."
- "VO2 peak [oxygen intake] increased in the NW [Nordic walking] group..."
- "...mean HR [heart rate]...HR at preferred walking speed...and % of time at high intensity...were higher in NW than in the W [walking] group."
- "RPE [rate of perceived effort] was not influenced by the modality of exercise and NW group showed a higher rate of adherence"
In other words, the Nordic walking women increased calorie/fat burning intensity without feeling like they were working harder (even thought they actually were).
Notice the last item: "higher rate of adherence." That means they were more likely to stick to it over the long term.
