Nordic walking for weight loss: benefits and correct technique

What is Nordic walking?

As a sport, walking with poles for weight loss was invented in Finland in the thirties of the twentieth century, as a training option for ski lovers. Then it began to conquer adherents of a healthy lifestyle and proper nutrition, taking root as a form of daily physical activity. And at the moment, Nordic walking has become a fairly common and well-known option to keep fit without much expense.

Nordic walking for weight loss or walking with poles is a sport in which the load on the legs is reduced, as with normal walking, but the muscles of the arms, chest and spine, on the contrary, are well used. Transferring the load to the body of a person losing weight increases the number of calories burned by more than 40% compared to regular walking. All the fundamental skeletal muscles of the body are involved, the cardiovascular system is strengthened, in a word, just by adding two special poles to your daily walks and mastering the technique, you can noticeably improve your health and have a lot of fun.

Nordic walking with poles: benefits for older people

Elderly people experience a number of problems that become the root cause of a large number of diseases:

• reduction in the rate of metabolic processes and elimination of ballast and toxic substances;
• deterioration of organ and tissue regeneration;
• weakening of the muscle corset and, as a result, poor resistance to natural gravitational effects;
• slowing down the transmission of nerve impulses.

All this is, to one degree or another, related to circulatory disorders. Age-related degradation of small blood vessels leads to a lack of nutrients and oxygen, which leads to cell death or a slowdown in the rate of cell division.

Finnish walking exercises help improve vascular function, increase heart endurance, and increase the useful volume of the lungs. Activation of blood circulation plays an important role in improving immunity.

Improving the overall tone of the body helps stabilize the nervous system. The so-called “hormones of joy” - endorphins and enkephalins, which are actively released during aerobic exercise, help lift the mood and effectively fight depression. People involved in this sport look younger, feel better, and charge others with their optimism and vigor.

Benefits of Nordic walking

The list of benefits from walking, especially Scandinavian walking, is quite extensive, as is the range of muscles used by those losing weight. For clarity, they are listed below:

1. Accelerated blood flow through the body, increase in heart rate by 10-20 units.
2. Gymnastics of the cardiovascular system, blood purification.
3. Engaging muscles throughout the body.
4. Engaging the joints of the body.
5. Increased lung capacity.
6. Improved posture.
7. Strengthening the skeletal muscles.
8. Higher calorie expenditure than normal walking.
9. Strengthens muscles and joints, as well as bones and increases bone mass.
10. A way to adjust the contours of the body.
11. Improvement in general condition, mood, activity and love of life.

Important: Doing Nordic walking for about one hour, at average intensity and walking speed, burns up to 500 calories.

Correct walking technique

There are a number of rules that must be followed when practicing Nordic walking. By following them you can achieve good results. One of these rules states that special attention should be paid to posture. The straighter the back, the more evenly the load on the joints is distributed and the less the spine gets tired. At the same time, a muscular corset of the body is formed.

Nordic walking poles must be placed at an angle of 60° to the foot extended forward. After completing the backward movement of the arm, the hand must be relaxed. The Nordic (stick) must be released: it will remain attached to the hand by means of a lanyard. Shoulders should remain as straight as possible. When leaning on a stick, you should not slouch. The foot is placed in front on the heel, and the movement ends, before lifting off the ground, on the toes.

For unprepared people, the first two weeks, the frequency of walks should not exceed three times every seven days. Then you can add another day and maintain that number of classes over the next period. After six months, you can begin five to six days of training. They usually start with a 10-minute walk. Every week 2 minutes are added to it. The walking speed is one step per second, and at advanced stages you can move twice as fast.

Equipment for sports walking

In walking with poles, in addition to technique, additional necessary equipment, that is, walking poles, is especially important. The required length of the product is calculated using an individual formula, where the height of a particular person is multiplied by the figure 0.7 and the resulting result will be the desired size of the stick required in a particular case.

For example: A person’s height is 162 centimeters. Means,

172 x 0.7 = 120.4 cm

Thus, Nordic walking poles in this case are required to be 120 centimeters long.

Important: The size of the sticks is done in increments of 5 centimeters, which is why the number obtained during the calculation is rounded if it is not a whole number.

You can also purchase telescopic canes, the size of which can be adjusted as needed. For winter, it is recommended to improve the cane with the help of special spikes designed to protect against accidental falls, and for summer, soft rubber tips would be quite appropriate.

How to choose and where to buy Nordic walking poles?

In our online store you can buy Nordic walking poles, sometimes also called “Nordic walking poles”. They are designed to withstand long-term use in harsh environments. The materials for the poles were not chosen by chance; they are subject to special requirements. They must be light, wear-resistant, elastic and durable.

Nordics can be telescopic, solid or collapsible. You can find detailed information about choosing Scandinavian sticks by reading this article. One way or another, there are no extremely strict rules in choosing Nordics - everyone chooses what seems most convenient to them. After all, the main thing in Nordic walking is the pleasure of doing it.

Nordic walking for weight loss: correct technique

The whole point of Nordic walking and weight loss techniques lies in mastering a special step and the ability to use the cane correctly.

The step is performed as follows. The heel of one foot is placed on the ground and the step is taken using the entire foot by rolling onto the toe. The movement is repeated with the legs alternately, reaching the desired rhythm and speed.

The arms are alternately tensed and relaxed to prevent overstraining the muscles and joints.

You need to start your workout with a warm-up and end with stretching your muscles.

In addition to the basic rules, it is recommended to consider the following tips:

• It is recommended to eat before training; fermented milk products, fruits or eggs are best;
• Two or two and a half hours after the lesson, you should saturate the body with building food, that is, fish, meat, vegetables;
• You should not exercise daily, preferably 4 times a week;
• Drink a lot of water, at least 2 liters per day, to regulate water exchange processes.

Advice: By breaking your diet into five meals a day, completely switching to proper nutrition, and spending more calories than you received from food, those losing weight will achieve more noticeable results in the shortest possible time.

How to do Nordic walking correctly

Wear comfortable sportswear that does not restrict movement. Comfortable shoes, preferably with shock-absorbing soles. Use telescopic or solid poles with a carbon content of at least 20%. More convenient equipment - with replaceable tips in the form of spikes and rubber. The length of a walking stick is individual and is calculated using the formula: a person’s height in centimeters multiplied by 0.68. Round the resulting number to an exponent that is divisible by 5.

Exercise 3-4 times a week for at least an hour. Fat burning begins after 40 minutes of training. To start the weight loss process, you need to move at a fast pace. Your pulse should increase, but you should not be out of breath. If you are thirsty, drink warm water.

Finnish walking technique

Before training to lose weight, do a 10-minute warm-up: warm up your joints and do some squats. Then start your lesson. The Nordic walking technique is simple:

1. Straighten your back, tilt your body slightly forward, bend your legs slightly at the knees.
2. Take the sticks in your hands, bend your elbows at an angle of 90 degrees.
3. Take a step forward. Do not stand on your entire foot, but roll from heel to toe.
4. Simultaneously with the movement of your legs, rearrange the poles “diagonally”: left leg – right hand and vice versa. As you throw the stick forward, squeeze your hand and relax it as you pull it back. You should lean on the equipment to take the pressure off your joints and spine.
5. When alternating hands, turn your entire body towards the support stick.
6. Amplitude of the arms: the hands rise to the level of the chest, not higher. The upper limbs should be brought behind the back to an angle of 45 degrees.
7. Place the poles along the body, do not move them far to the sides.
8. During Finnish walking for weight loss, tense your abdominal and buttock muscles.

Correct breathing

Take 1 breath for 2 steps, and exhale for 3-4 steps. Breathing during Finnish walking for weight loss is calm and measured. Inhale through your nose and use your diaphragm, i.e. stick your stomach out. Exhale through your mouth. If you can't hold your breath like that, reduce the intensity of your workout.

Meals during classes

The daily calorie intake for weight loss is reduced by 10–20% of the recommended amount for weight maintenance. Create a menu by choosing products from 5 groups:

• cereals, durum wheat pasta, bread;
• proteins: lean meat, fish, eggs, legumes, soy products;
• fermented milk products: kefir 1–2.5%, yogurt up to 10%, cottage cheese up to 9%, cheese up to 45%;
• vegetable and animal fats: olive, sunflower, flaxseed oil, nuts, seeds, avocado;
• fiber, natural sugar: vegetables, fruits.

Organize 4-5 meals. Serving size for weight loss is 300–400 g. In between meals, drink clean water, green and herbal tea. You can have 1-2 cups of coffee without additives. Avoid sugar and its substitutes, processed foods, and fatty foods. When losing weight from sweets, you can take 1 tsp. honey or 20 g of dark chocolate with a cocoa content of 72%.

How to effectively lose weight with Nordic walking: useful tips

During the development of Nordic walking as a sport, a number of additional recommendations to the technique were developed, compliance with which significantly improves the quality of the training, as well as the speed with which results appear.

• Be sure to follow the correct technique of rolling from heel to toe;
• Choose comfortable, high-quality shoes, preferably with shock absorption, which will reduce the risk of joint damage and the load will be noticeably reduced;
• Watch your posture until the correct position of your back becomes a habit;
• Do not place the cane in a vertical position;
• Tolerate joint pain at the initial stage;
• Squat your feet slightly as you step, reducing the risk of developing knee injuries;
• Don't hold your breath;
• It is recommended to exhale longer than inhale, but the inhalation should not be sharp.

Following the rules and principles of the technique of performing walking exercises with a cane will bring positive results in the shortest possible time.

In addition to classes, for the purpose of weight loss and anti-cellulite effect, you can purchase leggings with neoprene in the fabric, as well as a sauna belt. By wearing such underwear for walking, the process of changing the contours of the body will go faster.

Changing the amplitude of the swing of the legs and arms, as well as passing new routes with ascents and descents, has proven itself to be excellent. Rough terrain is best for walking.

Nordic walking: calorie consumption compared to other sports

Considering that calorie consumption during Finnish walking is determined by many factors, including the individual characteristics of the walker, it would be incorrect to talk about absolute figures. The standards are calculated for the average person under average conditions. This implies that the athlete follows the Nordic walking technique for weight loss impeccably.

All calculations are made for a person weighing 60 kg maintaining a speed of 6-7 km/h. With these initial data, the average consumption will be 350-400 kcal per hour, depending on the complexity of the route. If you are interested in a more accurate calorie consumption during Nordic walking that takes into account the athlete’s parameters, a calculator with such capabilities is presented on most resources dedicated to this sport.

photo from the site kkal.ru

Compared to usual aerobic exercise, calorie consumption is as follows:

• Normal walking. Walking without using Nordics will allow you to spend 150-160 kilocalories per hour. This huge difference is due to the fact that walking speed without the help of poles is significantly lower. On the other hand, during normal walking, the muscles of the legs and buttocks work mainly, while walking poles work the arms, back and abs.
• Jogging. An excellent way to lose weight, eliminating 180-200 kilocalories per hour, but significantly behind Nordic walking in this matter. In addition, jogging is merciless to the knee joints and intervertebral discs - frequent rhythmic impacts, the force of which is proportional to the person’s weight, injure the cartilage tissue, leading to its thinning. During Finnish walking, the body weight is partially transferred to the poles, reducing this negative effect, making it suitable for people with obesity and joint diseases.
• Cycling. Cycling, which is popular today, is also inferior to Nordic walking, taking 250-280 kcal per hour from the body when riding at a walking pace. In this case, the hips, buttocks and back actively work, but the arms and abs are completely inactive. It is also important that the likelihood of getting injured while riding a bicycle is much higher compared to walking.

Contraindications for exercise

Unlike regular walking, walking with poles for weight loss has some limitations for its implementation.

Nordic walking is prohibited if you have:

• Chronic diseases;
• Respiratory diseases;
• Surgical interventions;
• Menstruation.

In case of joint disease, it is advisable to consult with your doctor before starting training.

Reviews of Nordic walking for weight loss

Nordic walking for weight loss has received mostly positive reviews. Those losing weight noted an improvement in their physical condition after just a week of training. After the first soreness, the body begins to respond better to training, because the load is distributed evenly throughout the body. Posture improves, headaches and gastrointestinal problems disappear. The work of the heart muscle improves. To summarize, those losing weight noted a general strengthening effect, improved mood, filling the body with energy and excellent overall well-being.

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What you need to know when choosing poles

Today, buying poles is not a problem, and their choice is quite large, with prices ranging from 800 rubles to 2000 rubles or more. But first, it’s better to buy them in your sports store to see them with your own eyes, touch them and try them on for yourself, so that in the future you’ll know what kind of poles you need and then you can safely order them through the online store.

1. The poles should be light and durable; they are made of aluminum, composite and carbon - the most durable, but also expensive
2. The poles can be solid - their length is fixed - and can be folding, telescopic, where the length can be adjusted
3. Scandinavian sticks should have comfortable handles with a lanyard loop, which is fastened to the wrist, so that when you pull the stick back, you can let it go, and immediately then grab the stick and lean lightly on it
4. The stick's sharp tip must be made of hard material so that it does not slip. A “rubber boot” goes to the tip to soften impacts on the asphalt

Another important point is choosing poles that suit your height. What do you need to know? Everything is simple here, you need to know your height, which is multiplied by 0.6 - this is for beginners, for more experienced ones who have been training for a long time, multiply your height by 0.68, and for trained athletes, multiply your height by 0 ,7. For example, I am 1.60 m tall and I have no experience, which means my height is 1.60 x 0.6 = 96 cm - this is the length of my poles.