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.