Why walking helps with weight loss

You don't have to kill yourself to get on the weight loss path. You just have to be consistent.

Key point: "...the average person needs about four hours in total of moderately intense aerobic exercise per week, to lose weight."

Points to ponder:

  • "...ensure that when you are walking, you are slightly out of breath."
  • "...you will probably see fast results in the beginning, but after about six weeks or so, you will experience a plateau."
  • "...If you are not addressing your nutrition habits, then no amount of any type of exercise will produce sustainable weight-loss results."

Pretty much tracks with Nordic Walking Guy's 3 principles:

  1. Walk with purpose
  2. Be consistent
  3. Don't eat like a teenager
How long should you walk?

Fascinating article about how long to walk to maximize the activity's benefits.

Key point: "...walking for just 40 minutes several times per week reduces the risk of heart failure in post-menopausal women by 25 percent."

Other points:

  • "...the benefits of walking were consistent regardless of a woman’s weight or other forms of exercise."
  • "It’s also not necessary to power walk; moving at an average to fast pace is enough to reap all the necessary benefits."
  • "...longer, less strenuous workouts are more effective in prolonging longevity than high-intensity cardio."

That sounds about right. I've found when I get past 30 minutes, I feel like my conditioning is improving.

Walk off heart failure


Key point: "...every additional 30 to 45 minutes of daily activity was linked to the following risk reductions — 9 percent for overall heart failure, 8 percent for heart failure with preserved ejection fraction [the lower left heart chamber does not fill properly with blood and, therefore, pumps out less blood to the body] and 10 percent for heart failure with reduced ejection fraction [the heart muscle does not pump the necessary amount of blood to the body]."

Heart failure is increasing because of the growing number of older adults, but physical activity protects the heart from that kind of decline. 

The majority of active agers report walking as their primary physical activity, so Nordic walking can be an important part in your arsenal against heart failure.
How to use walking to lose weight

Here are some tips from an article about using walking as a weight loss method

Main point: "...you absolutely can lose weight by walking, but you have to keep these things in mind to make the most of it."
  • Walk briskly
  • Walk farther
  • Vary your pace
  • Vary your route
  • Count calories accurately
  • Incorporate body weight movements/exercise into the walk
Nordic walking helps you put those tips to action. How is that?
  • Everyone using poles tells me they naturally walk faster.
  • You can increase your distance with little strain because researchers found that Nordic walkers don't feel like they're working harder even though the activity is engaging more muscles.
  • Because you walk faster, you can also slow down, customizing the intensity of the activity. My favorite way is to include hills in my route. My pace naturally varies without my having to think about it.
  • I can change routes in my neighborhood. You can also vary your route by walking in different parks in your community.
  • Counting calories? Nordic Walking Guy says "Don't eat like a teenager!" Once you get past that, there are many systems out there to help you be more accurate in managing your food intake.
  • Have you tried doing squats and lunges while Nordic walking? The poles give you support and balance.



Maintaining and fixing the snap (external) locks of your adjustable Nordic walking poles

The video refers to trekking poles. The shafts and locks of adjustable trekking/hiking/walking poles are the same as the shafts and locks of adjustable Nordic walking poles

The video covers:
  • Fixing the lock when it doesn't tighten
  • Cleaning inside the poles

Nordic walking meetup in Tuscaloosa County on 11/3

Join us on Saturday at 8:30 AM to find out what Nordic walking is all about! No charge; poles provided.  New exercises you can do with the poles!

Look for the white Nordic walking sign.
  • When: 8:30 AM; 11/3
  • Where: Annette N. Shelby Park, 1614 15th Street, Tuscaloosa, AL 35401

Instructor: Leroy Hurt, ANWA-certified Advanced Nordic Walking instructor

Why Nordic walking?
  • Full body, low impact
  • Increase weight loss
  • Improve cholesterol
  • Improve blood pressure
  • Facilitate rehabilitation
  • Maintain stability and balance
  • Maintain posture
  • Facilitate stress relief
  • Support muscle toning
  • Improve cardiovascular function
  • Improve lung capacity
  • Support immune system
  • Socialize with walking companions
  • You determine the intensity of your workout

What if the Nordic walking bug bites you, and you just have to have your own poles right then and there? There will be some poles available for purchase (cash, check only).

Click here for a full schedule of meetups.

Learn more about Nordic walking at my Nordic Walking Guy blog and Nordic Walking Guy Facebook page.

Can't make it to a meetup? Contact me via the blog or Facebook links above, and we'll arrange a small group orientation with you and some friends.
Nordic walking in a wheelchair?

At Lakeshore Foundation's WALKTOBER health expo, I met a woman in a wheelchair who was curious about Nordic walking. We looked at the situation, and I adjusted the poles so she could use them while in her wheelchair.

She took off, using the poles to push herself forward, and she traveled all over the gym, able to control direction of travel as well as speed. This was different for her because she was used to pushing the wheels forward, working her chest muscles and front shoulder muscles. The poles worked her back and the shoulder muscles in back.

Why was this a big deal? I listened to Dr. Jared Rehm a little later in the day present on how to optimize wheelchair propulsion. It turns out the constant pushing forward of the wheels actually creates a muscle imbalance because the upper body muscles in front become stronger at the expense of the upper body muscles in the back.

Using Nordic walking poles actually helps counteract that imbalance because of the workout the muscles in the back get.

It makes Nordic walking a more inclusive activity.
Wonderful walks at McKendree Village (Heritage, Tennessee)