Nordic walking, I am learning, is no walk in the park. This despite the fact that walking in the park is exactly what my instructor, Mary Wray, and I are doing.
It’s a chilly morning, but I am feeling warm after 15 minutes on the move. This comes as something of a surprise. I’d supposed that, since I’m a seasoned runner, Nordic walking wasn’t going to set my pulse racing. “It’s the poles that make the difference,” says Wray, as we stride across the grass at a purposeful pace. It has been estimated that Nordic walking poles increase calorie expenditure by an average of 20 per cent compared with normal walking.
The slight ache in my shoulders and triceps hints at where the additional energy requirement is coming from. “You use the upper body muscles much more in Nordic walking,” explains Wray. “The backwards pressure that you apply to the poles to propel the body forward engages the muscles of the arms, rear shoulder, back and chest.” This wide distribution of effort also means that although you are working hard, you don’t feel as if you are.
My brain, however, is doubling its efforts – and getting in a muddle. I’m focusing so intently on what I’m doing, I keep losing my co-ordination and putting the same arm and leg forward simultaneously. It’s a common mistake, Wray tells me, suppressing a grin. The way round it seems to be to momentarily forget the poles until you regain a normal walking action. Once I get back in sync, I begin to enjoy the fluid motion and the rhythmic thump of the poles into the ground.
I also like Wray’s visual tip of imagining that I am squashing a firm tomato under the ball of my foot each time it lands. “This encourages you to roll smoothly from the heel on to the ball, developing a natural, balanced forward movement with a good push-off,” she explains.
The few people I have seen Nordic walking in the UK have been on concrete paths and pavements, so it’s a pleasant surprise that we are eschewing these in favour of the grassy expanses and jogger-worn trails of London’s Regent’s Park. “Walking on soft and undulating terrain works a greater variety of muscle groups in the lower legs,” says Wray. It’s more pleasant, too – birds chirruping above, a squirrel dashing frantically in front of us.
Going “off-road” is much more in line with the origins of Nordic walking. It was developed in Finland back in the 1930s as an off-season training activity for über-fit cross-country skiers. In the absence of snow, the skiers found that hitting the trails on foot provided a similar aerobic benefit, while the use of the specially designed poles enabled them to mimic the poling action of their sport, maintaining upper body and core strength.
I hadn’t realised before today that Nordic walking poles were different from the type you might go trekking with in the hills. They are lighter and longer, and they also have a rather fiddly glove strap that allows you to let go of the pole as it swings backwards. This “squeeze-release” action is said to ease shoulder tension and can reduce the symptoms of repetitive strain injury.
The poling action itself is different, too. Wray tells me to imagine I’m shaking hands with someone as I bring my arm forward. This immediately reveals the greater range of movement required and ensures I keep hands and poles aligned with my body.
Wray’s youthful, athletic figure confirms that Nordic walking is a robust form of exercise. But I can’t help thinking that I would be burning more calories if I was running. The results of one study suggest I’m mistaken. The research, published in the journal Medicine & Science in Sports & Exercise found that Nordic walkers were working at 75 per cent of their maximum aerobic capacity – akin to a steady-paced run. Besides, says Wray, Nordic walking is a good complementary activity for runners. “It strengthens the upper body, providing a more complete workout, it’s aerobic and it works on rhythm and co-ordination. And, of course, you can run with the poles,” she says, bounding off.
If I’d had any doubt about the extra propulsion the poles provide, it is vanquished when Wray and I reach a short, steep hill, which we ascend with and without poles. I’m amazed how much heavier and more sluggish I feel when I’m pole-free. The experience backs up Wray’s contention that Nordic walking is harder than normal walking but doesn’t feel as if it is. Further evidence for this paradox comes from a study at the Cooper Institute for Aerobic Research in the United States, which found that walkers had a lower “rate of perceived exertion” when Nordic walking compared with regular walking.
Our circuit has turned a few curious heads, but if the growth of Nordic walking in other countries is anything to go by, people walking with poles could soon be commonplace in the UK. The International Nordic Walking Association says it’s one of the fastest-growing exercise activities in the world – with 10 million participants in 40 countries.
We come to a halt beside the boating lake, and Wray takes me through a sequence of stretches, to a soundtrack of honking geese. I hand back my poles, bid Wray goodbye and head off. I feel heavy – as if I’ve just stepped off the bouncy castle – and wonder if walking without poles from now on is going to feel, well, pedestrian.
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The details
Mary Wray offers Nordic walking workshops, courses and classes in London, www.movingfeet.co.uk
Where to go
Across much of mainland Europe, Nordic walking is a popular activity. In Finland and Austria, there are dedicated Nordic walking routes, magazines and shops. Tracks and Trails offers Nordic walking holidays in the Peak District, the Scottish Highlands and the French Alps, www.tracks-and-trails.com
What to wear
Asics has created the “Gel Nordic”, a trainer specifically designed for Nordic walking
More information
To locate one of the UK’s 600 qualified instructors, visit www.nordicwalking.co.uk
