NORDIC WALKING AND NORDIC SNOWSHOEING HELP TO ELIMINATE SHIN, KNEE, HIP AND BACK PAIN

Members Of The Glen Lake Track Team Give Nordic Snowshoeing A Try When The Track Was Covered By An April Snow Storm

Everyday we receive thank you cards, thank you phone calls and thank you emails from happy Nordic Walking customers. This positive feedback is extremely motivating for all of us at the American Nordic Walking System and WWW.SKIWALKING.COM

Today we received an email from a happy Nordic Walking customer reinforcing the simple facts that walking and snowshoeing with poles makes walking and snowshoeing more effective, more comfortable and often eliminates shin, knee, hip and back pain.

Here is the email that we received today:

Pete: I met you at the Senior's Expo in Suttons Bay a few months back. I bought a set of your Nordic Ski Walking poles and they have been of immense help in dealing with my lumbar stenosis. A few years ago, I found that the only strenuous exercise that wouldn't cause shooting leg pains was snowshoeing. Obviously, the ski poles I use while snowshoeing had been taking enough weight off of my legs to eliminate the pain. Well, guess what? The same principle works with ordinary walking so long as I use your Nordic Ski Walking poles. The increase in exercise from Nordic Ski Walking poles has helped me with weight loss and has probably put off the need for spinal surgery for at least a few years. Thank you very much.

Jay

It is exciting to post feedback from an individual that has found success Nordic Walking and Nordic Snowshoeing (Snowshoeing with poles). Using the correct length poles really does improve posture and help to minimize stress to the weight bearing joints. Walking and snowshoeing also helps to burn more calories because the arms are more actively engaged.

Perfect length poles help us to automatically walk with a super straight back - better walking posture is biomechanically a good thing. This improved walking posture when combined with the unique 4-Wheel-Drive type action of walking with poles radically reduces the stress to the shins, knees, hips and back. Nordic Walking is low impact and yet provides a highly effective workout - burning more calories and working more muscle groups than regular walking.

Adding poles to your walking campaign and snowshoeing outings not only improve balance and stability, but the poles often allow individuals with Arthritis, MS, Parkinson's, Post Polio, Neuropathy, Scoliosis, Osteoporisis, Lumbar Stenosis to successfully get outside and walk successfully, safely and effectively.

At The American Nordic Walking System and WWW.SKIWALKING.COM we assist our customers with one-piece poles that are proven to be safer, lighter and much more durable than cheap twist-locking adjustable length/telescoping/collapsible poles. Don't get scammed by cheap twist-locking poles!

Have a great day and have FUN Nordic Skiing, Nordic Walking, Nordic Running, Nordic Blading and Nordic Snowshoeing.

Celebrate “Winter Trails Day” With Nordic Walking, Nordic Snowshoeing and/or Nordic Skiing (Cross Country Skiing)

Winter Trails Day is January 10th, 2009 – a great day to launch your Nordic Walking, Nordic Snowshoeing or Nordic Skiing campaign. Regardless of the weather, one of my favorite Nordic Sports will be doable this coming Saturday during "Winter Trails Day".

For those deprived of snow, grab some Nordic Walking Poles and hit your favorite trail for an effective, yet low impact aerobic adventure. Real Nordic Walking Poles are equipped with special removable rubber Nordic Walking tips/paws for use on pavement and other hard surfaces. Nordic Walking poles are also equipped with metal tips for use on trails, the beach, snow and ice – just pop off the removable rubber Nordic Walking tips/paws.

If you are lucky enough to have snow try Nordic Snowshoeing (snowshoeing with poles) or Nordic Skiing (cross country skiing). If snowshoes or skis aren’t an option, again try Nordic Walking Poles. If Nordic Walking on cross country trials please be thoughtful and do NOT walk in the skier’s tracks. Snowshoers and Nordic Walkers should avoid designated and groomed cross country trails. There are safety issues regarding foot traffic on cross country trails – so we all need to think safety first.

Cross country skiing provides the ultimate aerobic workout. The new cross country ski equipment is super user friendly – comfortable boots and skis that are wider and shorter. And when it comes to snowshoeing, durable one-piece poles can save the day. Snowshoeing often triggers lower back pain, but if poles are used, the elimination of lower back pain is almost a guarantee! Plus the poles help to give the upper body a workout and improve balance/stability.

Walking with Nordic Walking Poles also helps to radically reduce back pain and minimize the stress to the shins, knees, hips and back. When using the correct length Nordic Walking poles we are almost tricked magically into walking with a super straight back – improved biomechanics is a good thing! We can also burn up to 40% more calories than regular walking when using Nordic Walking Poles. And when it comes to improving balance and stability, Nordic Walking Poles have been proven successful for those using canes and walkers at numerous MS (multiple sclerosis), PD (Parkinson’s) and Diabetes (Neuropathy) Support Groups that I have had the opportunity to offer free Nordic Walking Clinics.

Skiers always use one-piece poles fit to their height. One-piece poles are safer, lighter and much more durable than cheap twist-locking adjustable length/telescoping/collapsible poles. Snowshoers have also discovered the fact that cheap twist-locking poles often collapse unexpectedly or fail all together. Several snowshoe manufacturers have packaged FREE poles with their snowshoes – unfortunately many of these cheap twist-locking poles don’t even work correctly when taken out of their package. Last winter we met the Miller sisters at a local trailhead and sure enough one of their "free" poles broke before they even set foot on the trail.

At The American Nordic Walking System and WWW.SKIWALKING.COM we offer 14 different lengths of Nordic Walking Poles. Most companies only sell twist-locking poles (one-size that doesn’t fit all) and a few that do sell one-piece poles only carry 3-6 different lengths – not enough sizes to adequately cover all heights.

On Winter Trails Day The American Nordic Walking System and SKIWALKING.COM will be providing free Nordic Walking Lessons and free Pole Demos. For the adventurous we will tour the unmarked lower Alligator Hill Trail. Advance reservations appreciated. For snowshoe and cross country ski opportunities across the USA check out the Winter Trails website: WWW.WINTERTRAILS.ORG

NORDIC WALKING AND NORDIC SKIING IN NOVEMBER

November 2008 started out as the best ever for Nordic Walking. Our favorite wooded trails in the Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore were covered with dry leaves and it looked like Indian Summer was here to stay.

On November 15th it started to snow and we ended up Nordic Skiing (cross country skiing) everyday for the rest of the month. Even on the days when I was hosting Nordic Walking Clinics we were able to hit the golf course for some great cross country skiing in the evening. We even squeezed in a couple days of skate skiing. The golf course provided great snow, plus the only safe place to cross country ski during deer season.

December is off to a record FUN season for Nordic Skiers too! No rain in the forecast for the next 10 days! Nordic Walkers need not despair because their poles work great during the winter too. We often go for a Nordic Walk when my wife gets home late from work and misses out on our family ski. We do our winter Nordic Walking with our running shoes on - even with snow and ice on the roads. The poles add huge improvements in balance and stability with the rubber Nordic Walking Tips removed and the carbide metal tips exposed.

Our hands stay pretty warm too. We wear lightweight SWIX Cross Country Ski Gloves. Our Nordic Walking poles come with real Nordic Walking Straps - kind of like fingerless gloves. These comfortable patented straps (patented by the Salomon Ski Company) eliminate the need to grip the poles - radically improving circulation. The straps are identical to the ones I use for cross country skiing and cross country racing.

Our poles are also similar to our cross country ski poles - durable one-piece design. Skiers use one-piece poles sized correctly for their height. Skiers know that one-piece poles are safer, lighter and much more durable than cheap twist-locking adjustable length/telescoping/collapsible poles. Snowshoers have found out the hard way that the FREE twist-lock poles that came with their snowshoes are pure garbage and rarely hold their settings and the twist-locks often fail altogether.

Nordic Walking and Cross Country Skiing are my two favorite activities. When we don't have snow our Nordic Walking Poles save the day!

NORDIC WALKING AND ADJUSTING TO TIME CHANGE

Time change in the late fall is a fantastic thing when it comes to snagging that extra hour of sleep and it provides early morning Nordic Walkers a little more light. Fall’s time change is not so good however for those of us that like to squeeze in that after work Nordic Walk on our favorite trail before dark.

No complaints, we just need to get creative. Remember that a little extra reflective tape is always a good idea for Nordic Walking when it is dark out. Be sure to wear a reflective vest too. Headlamps are worth looking into also.

The other morning I was up on Alligator Hill in the Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore and it was snowing lightly and snowflakes were getting stuck in spider webs – something I had NEVER noticed as a runner or cross county skier?

We have also had a HUGE hatch of medium sized brown moths – kinda weird for November. This follows the best fall on record for warm, dry weather this far into November. Nordic Walking on trails thickly covered with dry leaves has been kind of magical for weeks. Snow is on the way and we may be cross country skiing on Sunday.

Nordic Walking and cross country skiing are my favorite activities. Luckily my family is addicted to both Nordic Walking and cross country skiing too.

My cross country ski poles and Nordic Walking poles have the same comfortable patented straps on them (kind of like a fingerless glove) – patented by the Salomon Ski Company. The best XC ski racing poles (Exel, One-Way and SWIX) utilize this same patent on their top poles. These straps also work great for Nordic Walking, Nordic Running, Nordic Snowshoeing, Nordic Blading and Nordic Skiing (cross country skiing). If you are considering a purchase of Nordic Walking Poles it is well worth it to be sure the straps are "Salomon Patented Straps" – be careful because there are many cheap imitations out there. I have tested a lot of sample straps from China and they all ripped out with-in just a couple weeks. One test pair didn’t last two days. A quality strap allows you the chance to push off – applying pressure into the cradle of the strap through the heel of your hand. Quality straps also eliminate the need to squeeze or grip the poles and eliminate wrist-lock.

For more information about Nordic Walking Technique and proper use of Nordic Walking Straps check out: http://www.skiwalking.com/getStarted.asp

My next Nordic Walking challenge will be Deer Season.

Have FUN Nordic Walking!

THE MANY BENEFITS OF NORDIC WALKING POLES MOTIVATE LAUNCH OF THE "NORDIC SPORTS USA" BLOG

The Nordic Sports Blog was launched to help promote all Nordic sports: Nordic skiing (cross country skiing), Nordic walking, Nordic running, Nordic snowshoeing and Nordic blading (in-line skating or roller blading with poles). These healthy activities originated in Scandinavia. And all of these Nordic activities include the use of sport specific poles – improving balance, stability and overall fitness.

Check out our new Nordic Sports Blog at: http://nordicsportsusa.blogspot.com
I love cross country skiing (Nordic skiing). Cross country ski racers are proclaimed to be the most aerobically fit athletes on the planet. Cross country skiing was the first of the Nordic Sports. Then came Nordic Walking. Nordic Walking Poles not only help to burn more calories than regular walking, the poles help to reduce stress to the weight bearing joints and improve balance/stability.

When I was forced to stop running marathons I discovered that Nordic Walking Poles helped to radically reduce the stress to my knee. My wife and I were never compatible as running partners, but Nordic Walking together has been fantastic. Now we are actually Nordic running (running with our Nordic Walking Poles) up the hills of our favorite trail here in the Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore.

As a ski coach I know that ski walking and hill bounding with poles are key components to summer training for ski racers deprived of snow. Walking with poles can help to turbo charge everyone’s walking campaign. Walking with poles can burn up to 40% more calories than regular walking. And that is why the American Nordic Walking System and WWW.SKIWALKING.COM developed the three basic levels of Nordic Walking – allowing ALL ages and ALL fitness levels to find the ideal level of exertion. More Nordic Walking info on how to get started walking effectively with poles can be found at: http://www.skiwalking.com/getStarted.asp

Given the many health benefits of Nordic Skiing and Nordic Walking it is important to look into Nordic Blading and Nordic Snowshoeing. Both of these activities take existing fitness activities and make them better by adding poles to increase upper body involvement/workout and improve balance, stability and back support. Blading (in-line skating or roller blading) and snowshoeing with poles really does help to eliminate back pain – helping to automatically improve posture without having to think about it. Adding poles to these fitness activities has proven to be a win-win situation.

Nordic Sports provide us with some unique fitness options that are huge and successful in Europe and doable here in the USA regardless of time of year:

Nordic Skiing: ideal anywhere there is snow. NO lift ticket required. Huge calorie burn, plus gentle on the weight bearing joints.

Nordic Walking: can be done successfully anytime of year and in any climate. Removable rubber tips make Nordic Walking doable on pavement, in the mall and on indoor/outdoor tracks. Remove the rubber Nordic Walking tips and you are good to go on trials, the beach, snow and ice.
Nordic Blading: in-line skating with poles requires dry pavement and hard surfaces. Nordic Blading is a great way to get a better workout while skating. Balance and stability are greatly improved.

Nordic Snowshoeing: can be done anywhere there is snow and may be perceived as easier than cross country skiing in certain terrain and in certain snow conditions. If it is a little icy for cross country skiing it may be the perfect time for Nordic Snowshoeing - adding poles to snowshoeing not only improves balance and stability, the stress to the lower back is often eliminated completely!

Poles are obviously a key to all of the fantastic Nordic Sports. It is important to note that Nordic Skiing and Nordic Blading are done exclusively with durable one-piece poles. And when it comes to Nordic Walking and Nordic Snowshoeing it has been proven repeatedly that one-piece poles are safer, lighter and much more durable than cheap twist-locking adjustable/telescoping/collapsible poles. I am contacted everyday from individuals that have experienced problems with their poles equipped with twist-lock systems. Skiers don’t use cheap twist-lock poles and neither should Nordic Walkers or Nordic Snowshoers. The cheap twist-lock poles included in many snowshoe kits often fail right out of the box and if not right out of the box they are not durable enough to hold up with repeated use.

Nordic Sports are huge in Europe and are improving the health and fitness of millions. Hopefully as more Americans become aware of the many benefits of Nordic Sports we will see an increase in Nordic Skiing, Nordic Walking, Nordic Running, Nordic Blading and Nordic Snowshoeing.