Nordic Walking - Benefits for Sports

Nordic walking as well as being a great leisure/fitness activity and sport in its’ own right, can also help you improve other sporting interests you may have. Perhaps it could be another enjoyable way to cross-train that you hadn’t thought of?

Skiing -The number 1 obvious sport being skiing, in particular cross country skiing.  Nordic walking can help to get you ‘ski fit’.  Get your body ready for a skiing holiday and enjoy it even more.

Swimming - Nordic walking uses the large muscles in the upper body as well as the lower, therefore significant gains in strength and flexibility can be achieved, along with the cardio-vascular benefits, through Nordic walking regularly.

Running – Nordic walking is a great cross training exercise for running.  Due to the low impact nature of Nordic walking, it is an excellent way to maintain training without stressing the lower limb joints.  It is particularly useful if coming back from an injury, as half the workload is transferred to your upper body.  It can also improve your core stability muscles and upper body muscles.  It is a fantastic tool for endurance training, as the full technique uses 90% of all your skeletal muscle.  Throw in some vigorous hill training and even Nordic running or bounding and potentially your stamina and strength can increase.

Rowing, cycling, ... - Any sport where you want to increase your cardio-vascular fitness, co-ordination and muscular fitness, Nordic walking can help.

*A personal note from Helen 

From personal experience I know Nordic walking works. I completed a 1.5mile swim in the sea , from Bournemouth to Boscombe Pier, organised by the British Heart Foundation.  A great event if you like swimming!

I also completed 3 running marathons (26.2miles each) last year, as well as numerous other running challenges.

I enjoyed a 10km Nordic walking challenge at Wincanton Sports ground as part of their 10km running and walking events in June.

               

Nordic walking helped me to achieve these things.  It also gives you a general feeling of well being in your every day life and an opportunity to enjoy the outdoors and meet new people.