Nordic Walking Size Charts - a bad idea and basically silly

I came across an article posted on the Nordic Walking News Blog and the sizing chart in this article is the worst one I have ever come across. Other sizing charts are off, but this one is horrible. There are no 110cm poles or 105cm poles listed. No 140cm poles either. The silliest thing about including a sizing chart to begin with is that ski and walking pole manufacturers, just like ski manufacturers, measure their skis and poles differently. And all the junk walking poles flooding the market from China are sized all over the place - no consistency at all. Size charts are basically worthless. All these supposed Nordic Walking "experts" are ignorant of this basic fact and include size charts in their articles, videos and even in their books. And just as ignorantly these supposed Nordic Walking Experts promote cheap/flimsy collapsible poles.

At WWW.SKIWALKING.COM and the American Nordic Walking System we ship REAL one-piece Nordic Walking Poles all over the world every day and all we need to know is the height of the individual to select the Perfect Length Poles for their height. We back up our sizing expertise with a Perfect Length Guarantee. All of our quality poles also come with a LifeTime Breakage Guarantee and a 100% Satisfaction Guarantee.

Every day we hear from new customers that were unhappy with their cheap/flimsy 2-piece or 3-piece collapsible poles from other sources. Their original poles rattled, vibrated, gradually collapsed or unexpectedly collapsed all together. They are always excited about the improved quality of their new one-piece poles that we are shipping out to them and they can't wait for them to arrive. And we ship fast.

In North America you can not find quality one-piece Nordic Walking Poles in stores. You can find a lot of cheap/flimsy 2-piece and 3-piece collapsible poles from China, but rarely quality poles and never REAL one-piece poles sized correctly to each individual's height. Quality one-piece SWIX and EXEL Nordic Walking Poles in 16 different lengths can be found at WWW.SKIWALKING.COM

Seniors and those with balance issues should NEVER use cheap/flimsy collapsible poles. SWIX or EXEL one-piece Nordic Walking poles, when sized correctly, will always prove to safer, lighter, stronger and much more user-friendly than collapsible poles. Skiers know that one-piece poles will prove superior in every condition and every situation. As a ski coach I know for a fact that cheap collapsible poles are totally inferior to quality one-piece poles.

After hosting hundreds of Nordic Walking classes and clinics during the past eight years I have developed a pretty good feel for sizing everyone into the correct length poles. ALL my customers receive a perfect length guarantee. ALL sizes are in-stock and ready to ship. Once I know how tall someone is I personally select the perfect length poles for their height.

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.

Please let me know if you have any questions at any time.

Have a great day! Nordic Ski Walking is the best,

Pete - owner/founder/coach The American Nordic Walking System and WWW.SKIWALKING.COM  Nordic Walking Poles

Email: GETFIT@SKIWALKING.COM

Phone: 231-334-3080

Nordic Walking At Fort Carson And The Pikes Peak Area

Our Nordic Walking Clinics at Fort Carson proved once again that the right length Nordic Walking Poles really can radically improve balance and stability!

The Red Cross helped to coordinate the FREE Nordic Walking Clinics that my son Keefer and I hosted at Fort Carson for Wounded Warriors. Many of the Wounded Warriors came to our Nordic Walking Clinics with canes and walkers, but soon discovered that the correct length Nordic Walking Poles were a huge improvement to their canes and walkers. The correct length poles improved posture, gait and reduced the stress to the shins, knees, hips and back. The Wounded Warriors also found that our SWIX and EXEL Nordic Walking Poles were equipped with comfortable and patented finger-less glove type straps – patented by the Salomon Ski Company.

Our durable and user friendly one-piece Nordic Walking Poles have also proved effective at free Nordic Walking Clinics that we have hosted at numerous Multiple Sclerosis (MS), Parkinson’s (PD), and Diabetes Support Groups.

During all of my Nordic Walking Clinics I always provide REAL Nordic Walking Poles (one-piece design) from SKIWALING.COM and the American Nordic Walking System.

Everyday we receive phone calls and emails here at the American Nordic Walking System and WWW.SKIWALKING.COM from individuals that are having problems with their twist-lock and/or flip-lock poles. During many of my Nordic Walking Classes I hear from individuals that are having trouble with their cheap twist-locking adjustable length/telescoping/collapsible poles. I NEVER recommend any type of adjustable length/telescoping/collapsible poles to individuals with balance issues. One-piece poles that are sized correctly prove to be safer, lighter and much more durable. As a ski coach I know for a fact that skiers demand one-piece poles because they are far superior to any twist-lock or flip-lock poles.

After hosting Nordic Walking Clinics at Fort Carson and donating REAL Nordic Walking Poles to the Wounded Warriors, my son Keefer and I found time to do some Nordic Walking and fishing. We didn’t climb Pikes Peak, but we did some awesome 10-mile hikes in designated wilderness areas. And as far as the fishing went, Keefer caught and released 17 rainbows, a couple dozen brown trout and 40+ brook trout.

Nordic Walking Clinics A Success During Michigan Health Department #10’s Staff Meetings At The Michigan 4-H Foundation’s Kettunen Center

On Friday, October 10th I had the opportunity to offer an introduction to Nordic Walking to about 150 Health Department employees, followed by Nordic Walking Clinics for the most adventurous health department employees.

The setting was ideal – lakeside in the beautiful northern Michigan woods at the Kettunen Center, a complete conference and retreat facility owned and operated by the Michigan 4-H Foundation. The District Health Department #10 is the largest geographical health department in Michigan. The mission of District Health Department #10 is to promote and enhance the health of all individuals through education, prevention, intervention, and protection of the environment.

The mission of The American Nordic Walking System and WWW.SKIWALKING.COM is to provide helpful, proven and safe Nordic Walking Instruction and quality Nordic Walking Poles to as many North Americans as possible. After hosting hundreds of Nordic Walking classes during the past four years I have developed a pretty good feel for sizing everyone into the correct length poles. ALL our customers receive a perfect length guarantee. ALL sizes are in-stock and ready to ship. Once we know how tall someone is we select the perfect length poles for their height and we back it up with a perfect length guarantee. Our customer satisfaction rating is 100%! And every day we receive thank you cards and emails from happy customers all across the USA and Canada.

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.

The American Nordic Walking System and WWW.SKIWALKING.COM are dedicated to the simple and proven facts that one-piece Nordic Walking Poles are safer, lighter and much more durable than cheap twist-locking adjustable length poles. Seniors and individuals with balance issues should never use poles equipped with twist-locking systems that can fail and collapse unexpectedly. While hosting Nordic Walking all across the country we consistently hear the same feedback from individuals that accidentally purchased twist-locking poles that failed and/or collapsed unexpectedly from discount stores, sporting goods stores and other sources. Many of our newest customers call us after they can’t get their twist-locking poles to set correctly and they ask us about our quality hassle-free one-piece poles.

Last night a lady called about her new twist-lock poles that, right out of the box, wouldn’t set correctly – obviously she didn’t purchase them from us. There were no instructions and no Nordic Walking DVD. She decided to order some one-piece poles from us in the perfect length for her height and was going to return the cheap twist-locking poles. Even the best twist-lock poles are not as dependable and user-friendly as quality one-piece poles sized correctly. When it comes to sizing, be sure that at a minimum all nine sizes are available from 100cm to 140cm in 5cm increments. And when it comes to Nordic Walking Straps, the best ones are patented by the Salomon Ski Company – don’t get scammed by the cheap straps from China. All of the Nordic Walking Poles from The American Nordic Walking System and WWW.SKIWALKING.COM are patented by the Salomon Ski Company.

Nordic Walking isn’t just for skiers deprived of snow during the summer!

Nordic Walking is ideal for ALL ages and ALL fitness levels.

Walking with poles is the best!

The SMART Car Meets Smart Walking (Nordic Ski Walking)

SMART Cars Burn Less Gas And Nordic Walking Poles Burn More Calories!

Four years ago I launched http://www.skiwalking.com/ and The American Nordic Walking System. Fourteen months ago I put a $99 deposit down to reserve a SMART Car. On August 8th, 2008, The SMART Car and Nordic Walking (Smart Walking) met up at the Bloomfield Hills SMART Car Dealership (the only SMART Car dealership in Michigan). The SMART Car staff tried Nordic Ski Walking and I got to test drive my new Smart Car. Both received two thumbs up!

It was definitely worth the 14-month wait for my SMART Car to arrive. I made several stops in my new SMART Car the next morning to introduce Nordic Walking to staff at two of the Beaumont Health Centers in Royal Oak, Michigan. I always have FUN hosting Nordic Walking Clinics, but my SMART Car made getting to my Nordic Walking Clinics twice as FUN. I had to drive with the windows down because at every intersection folks wanted to ask questions and give compliments.

Why Nordic Walking? Because walking with the perfect length poles and correct technique can burn up to 40% more calories than regular walking. The another added bonus from walking with poles is the fact that the stress to the shins, knees, hips and back is radically reduced – making walking comfortable, even for individuals with new knees, new hips, Scoliosis, arthritis, weight issues and even cancer survivors. The poles are also a huge benefit for individuals with balance issues including MS, Parkinson’s, Neuropathy, Post Polio and other challenges. Please note that one-piece poles custom fit to an individual’s height are safer, lighter and much more durable than cheap twist-locking adjustable length/telescoping/collapsible poles. Seniors and those with balance issues should NOT use cheap twist-locking poles. Our one-piece poles are safer, lighter and much more durable and user friendly than cheap twist-lock poles.

Why the SMART Car? Its great mileage, the fact that it is a totally recyclable car, that it provides a smaller carbon footprint and that it is a way to inform both the US oil industry and US auto industry that smaller is better. The US oil and auto industries have spent millions of dollars lobbying against improved MPG standards and should have been investing that money into improving MPG ratings and developing more efficient, cleaner and green energy sources. Over 900,000 Smart Cars have been sold in 36 countries.

On the 5-hour drive north to the home office in Glen Arbor my SMART Car cruised along at 80 miles per hour on I-75 without hesitation or reservation. Gas mileage was only around 40 mpg, but considering this is the "break in" period that isn’t bad.

My favorite car of all time was the VW Thing, but my new favorite car of all time is my new SMART Car - faster, much safer, cleaner (greener) and way more efficient! With the front seat down I can carry 7 full pole bags (77 pairs of Nordic Walking Poles). My 206cm Salomon cross-country skis also fit – even with my son buckled into the passenger seat! There is room for the two of us plus downhill ski gear too! With ESP (electronic stability program with hill start assist) and ABS (Anti-lock braking system with electronic brake force distribution) standard, there won’t be any issues come winter driving. My VW Eurovan has ESP and ESP should be standard on all cars sold in the USA – it is the next best thing to 4-Wheel Drive!

While parked in front of SKIWALKING.COM headquarters today, my SMART car posed for pictures with dozens of tourists walking and cruising down Lake Street in Glen Arbor. The little car is super comfortable, a total blast to drive and NOT just a little car restricted to short little commutes. I’ll be taking this sporty little rascal to all of my Midwest Nordic Walking Clinics. For longer trips I may snag my wife’s Honda Fit (a fantastic 5 seater with tons of storage space and magic seats that fold into the floor).

While my one-piece Nordic Walking Poles are make walking smarter (effective, efficient and FUN), my SMART car is helping to make driving smarter and a whole lot more affordable and FUN!!!!

Get off the coach and launch your Nordic Walking campaign today! Go to http://www.smartusa.com/ and reserve yourself a FUN and efficient driving machine too!