Maintaining and fixing the spin (internal) 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

Muscle, fat, and your basal metabolic rate (BMR)

 Nordic Walking Guy found an interesting BMR calculator.

First, a definition: "...basal metabolic rate—the amount of energy expended while at rest in a neutrally temperate environment, and in a post-absorptive state (meaning that the digestive system is inactive, which requires about 12 hours of fasting)." In English, BMR is the number of calories burned when you're inactive.

Some observations on playing with the calculator.

• Concept of BMR calculations: "BMR is estimated with equations summarized from statistical data."
• BMR calculations are based on you your age, height, and weight. 
• It lets you calculate your BMR according to any of 3 methods:
• Revised Harris-Benedict ("The Harris-Benedict Equation was one of the earliest equations introduced.")
• Mifflin St. Jeor ("The Mifflin-St Jeor Equation has been shown to be more accurate than the revised Harris-Benedict Equation.")
• Katch-McArdle ("The Katch-McArdle Formula is slightly different in that it calculates resting daily energy expenditure (RDEE), which takes lean body mass into account, something that neither the Mifflin-St Jeor nor the Harris-Benedict Equation do."
• Overall, "the Mifflin-St Jeor Equation is considered the most accurate equation for calculating BMR with the exception that the Katch-McArdle Formula can be more accurate for people who are leaner and know their body fat percentage."

Nordic Walking Guy selected the Katch-McArdle option and noticed something. 

• Adjusting body fat percentage.
• When I input lower body fat percentages but kept my weight the same, the BMR went up. 
• When I increased the body fat percentage and kept my weight the same, the BMR went down. 
• Changing the body fat percentage while keeping my weight constant was another way of saying muscle mass increased or decreased.
• BMR went up because increased muscle mass burns more calories.
• BMR went down because decreased muscle mass burns fewer calories.

What does this mean?

• Integrate strength training to build some muscle mass so you can burn calories faster.
• Take advantage of diet. 
• Here's an eye-opening statement: "For most people, upwards of ~70% of total energy (calories) burned each day is due to upkeep. Physical activity makes up ~20% of expenditure and ~10% is used for the digestion of food." 
• Since you can't increase physical activity beyond a certain point without damaging your body, you'll want to manage your diet to create that calorie deficit needed to lose weight. 

Augmenting your Nordic walking with strength development

Some people may want to augment their Nordic walking with strength building. An article warns against over-complicating strength development. 

Bottom line: 

• "The most important thing is to just do something...The number one principle is to start doing it and continue doing it — that’s probably where 80% of the health benefits come from."
• "The most effective program is one that you’ll stick with."

Points to consider:

• "Strength training can be done at home with minimal or even zero equipment."
• "...bolstering your bones doesn’t require you to stack on the weights. The vast majority of the forces on your bones during strength exercises comes from the muscle contractions themselves...that’s where most of the bone health benefits come from.”
• "...hit all your major muscle groups with exercises like pushups and squats, which work a lot of muscles at once. This also cuts down the duration of the workout."

The article has a lot more information, so read on.