Nordic walking and macular degeneration

Macular degeneration causes people to walk more slowly and need more support, scenarios that increase the risk of falling.

A study I saw confirmed slower walking speeds and stride velocities. Also the participants tended to walk in a way where they emphasized keeping both feet on the ground. In other words, they would take a step, bring the other foot up, stand, and then step off again.

One area of research should be the effect of using poles for stability.

Does technique make a difference

A study compared different Nordic walking techniques to assess how best to use Nordic walking poles to engage the upper body.

Styles compared:

• Walking
• Nordic walking (classical technique on which the vast majority of walkers are trained)
• Nordic walking with a weak poling action (classical technique but with weaker push-off)
• Nordic walking with straight-upper limbs moving the shoulders (arms extended, elbows locked)
• Nordic walking with elbow flexion-extension pattern and shoulders still (push-off only by flexing arms, not engaging shoulders)

I’ve tried these styles, and the intensity I felt corresponded to the research findings. One style not addressed was the power walking style where the elbows stay flexed.

Variations on the classical Nordic walking style created less muscle activation than the classic Nordic walking technique. However, all the Nordic walking techniques achieved greater muscle activation than regular walking, so doing something is better than just walking.

Do both!

I played around with a fitness calculator today. The most significant variables were frequency, duration, and intensity of exercise and waist size and weight/body mass.

The result was your fitness age, which is younger, equal, or greater than your chronological age.

After trying different combinations of factors that could be changed (obviously factors like height and education level can’t be changed):

Body factors → Intensity of exercise ↓	Weight and waist (actual; no change)	Weight and waist (reduced)
Low intensity	Fitness age same as chronological age	Fitness age several years younger than chronological age
Moderate intensity	Fitness age several years younger than chronological age	Fitness age 10 years younger than chronological age
High intensity	Fitness age 10 years younger than chronological age	Fitness age half of chronological age