Don’t miss out on the opportunity to use hiking not only for pleasure, but also for health benefits.
Nordic walking is, first of all, a modified “walking” in a special technique using special sticks. Such a promenade is much more effective than ordinary walking or running, since 90 percent of the muscles are used – about 200; in addition to the legs and back, the shoulder-elbow apparatus is involved. That is why “Scandinavian” is called not just walking, but a full-fledged fitness training. How to move correctly, an experienced instructor Tatiana Pokruchina will tell.
I must say right away that ski poles are not suitable for Nordic walking – they are higher, and they have the wrong tips. Scandinavian sticks must be of a certain length, for this your height must be multiplied by a factor of 0,68 and rounded to a multiple of five. For example, your height is 170 cm: 170 × 0,68 = 115,6 – the sticks should be 115 cm high. There are several tips in the set for the sticks, which vary depending on which surface you will walk on. A lanyard (special glove) is attached to the upper part of the stick, the function of which is very important for the correct holding of the sports “staff”.
You should start your workout with a warm-up. Slowly stretch the muscles of the arms and legs: sit down several times, take your shoulders back, make circular movements with your head, alternately raise and lower your arms. Warm up the muscles, prepare the body for the load, walk slowly, practicing the correct walking technique. The legs and arms should move in antiphase: first, the left arm / right leg forward, then the right arm / left leg forward.
Steps are performed by rolling from heel to toe, there is no need to invent anything here – movement is a natural process of walking. But the steps must be taken longer than usual in order to properly load the muscles. Keep your back straight and tilt your body slightly forward. To make an imitation of a ski gait is wrong, the legs should not slide on the surface, the step is done as in ordinary walking: the support occurs first on the heel and gradually passes to the toe. To do this, it is better to wear sneakers with flexible soles. While walking, the legs should be slightly bent at the knees, and the step should be done calmly, gently, without rushing. While walking, the hip, knee and ankle joints are involved.
The shoulders should be relaxed and down, the elbows should be free. When you move the hand with the stick back, the palm must be unclenched, the stick seems to be released, it will hold on to the wrist only due to the lanyard. That is, you cannot carry a stick in your fist, stick it into the surface of the earth and rearrange it; it is necessary that the stick simply follows the hand. The arm should be raised backward or forward no more than 45 degrees. You cannot cut the amplitude, you need to act with your hands, like a pendulum – to make a full swing. With a wide amplitude movement, do not bend the arm at the elbow. Very soon you will feel how the strengthening of the body in general and the spine in particular is taking place. Active work of the muscles of the back and upper shoulder girdle during normal walks does not occur, and with the help of Nordic walking, the physical load is balanced across all muscle groups.
An important principle: inhale through the nose, exhale through the mouth. For a longer exhalation, the lips can be folded with a light tube. Some experts set a certain rhythm for breathing – for the first two steps – inhale, for the third or fifth step – exhale. Practice shows that you can breathe, as you are used to, the main thing is to walk rhythmically. At the same time, pulmonary ventilation improves, the blood is saturated with oxygen, the efficiency increases, and the state of health improves.
Let us repeat that in the Scandinavian walking technique it is necessary to hold the stick correctly. It should be clamped between the thumb and forefinger, slightly clenching it in a fist. When moving the hand forward, the stick is released from the fist and is held in the palm of the hand on the lanyard, smoothly following the hand. When walking, sticks must not be thrown in different directions, they must move parallel to each other and to the body. Imagine that you are walking on the sleepers, and the sticks are moving along the rails.
With proper Nordic walking, 500-700 kcal are consumed per hour. The energy spent while walking in the fresh air provokes a strong appetite, but a throw to the refrigerator will give an undesirable result, you can get better. Remember to drink a glass of water before exercising. Coming from a walk, also drink a glass of still water and eat one unsweetened fruit. You can eat fully only an hour and a half after the “Scandinavian”. If you want to lose weight, then lunch should be no more than 350 kcal (including the fruit eaten), that is, less than the calories were spent.
It all depends on the preparation of the body for physical activity, the main thing is not to overdo it, take into account your age and weight. Keep in mind that there are contraindications for people with overweight or dystrophic weight. As with any sport, it is best to consult your doctor before starting systematic training. The general age rules are as follows: for those who are over 50 years old and have not even had a simple daily exercise, you need to start with walking for 10 minutes 2-3 times a week and only in the third month increase the walking duration to 35 minutes 4 times a week. Those who are young and have a sufficiently high physical fitness can start from this rhythm. By the third month, you can “accelerate” to 60 minutes six times a week.