February 04, 2009
If Not Now, When?
Fitness-After-50 - Thomas D. Manfredi, Publisher
tom@fitness-after-50.com
www.fitness-after-50.com
February 4, 2009; Vol. 5, Issue 2
Published the first Wednesday of every month
THIS ISSUE: Nordic Walking – An Exercising A+
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Table of Contents:
1) Editor's Note
2) Food for Thought
3) Feature Article: Nordic Walking – An Exercising A+
4) Teleclasses
5) Question & Answer
6) Our Services
Editor's Note
Hi,
I know that many parts of the US are experiencing some really nasty weather right now. Here is Arizona we are starting to warm up a little (that's why I moved here). We have been getting up into the high 60's and 70's most days. Not bad for early February!
We don't do too much after returning from the holidays in Chicago. The rest of January is usually pretty quiet. We did go to a couple of craft fairs. And, in about 10 days, we have our “Gold Rush Days” coming to town. This is the biggest event of the year here in Wickenburg. It's three days long, with 100's of vendors, mining skill events, a rodeo, and an old west reenactment. I get all gussied up in all my cowboy gear, including six guns, boots and spurs. And, yes, my wife is a little embarrassed to be seen with me, but she's gotten use to most of my idiosyncrasies over the past 50 years.
This month i am reviving an article I wrote last year about “Nordic (pole) Walking”. I've had the last year to experiment with using the poles for my walking regime, and I'm pretty impressed with how well they work. At the end of the article I have references to two sites that sell the poles. I suggest if you have any interest in getting more bang for your buck from walking, that you check out one or both of the sites. They explain the details of how pole walking works in more depth than my article, and their equipment is good quality and reasonably priced.
Good luck, keep exercising, and remember – "If not now, when?".
Best Wishes,
Tom Manfredi
Send any comments you may have to tom@fitness-after-50.com
My site fitness-after-50.com
Food for Thought
Age is no barrier. It's a limitation you put on your mind.
Feature Article - Nordic Walking – An Exercising A+
by Thomas D. Manfredi, MS
Walking is a form of exercise that is recommended by many fitness professionals as an ideal way to build a more heart healthy body. With walking, you are working the large muscles in the lower part of your body and conditioning the heart to process oxygen more efficiently. This is often referred to as aerobic exercise. Aerobic exercise and strength training combine to form the basis for any good health and fitness regime.
Recently, I found a modification to exercise walking that helps make it an even more ideal form of exercise. It is referred to as "Nordic (Pole) Walking". With the use of the poles it looks something like cross country skiing. Whatever it's called, the basics are the same. It is fitness walking with specially designed poles. And, it is the proper use of the poles that makes all the difference.
Unfortunately, Nordic (cross country) skiing was not a popular form of exercise in the U.S. 25 years ago. It was much more popular in Europe, particularly the Nordic countries. By the mid 1990's Nordic walking had become very popular in Finland, and from there it moved into other European countries and then to Canada. Now it is starting to pick up interest and advocates here in the U.S.
One of the interesting things about Nordic walking is that, if the poles are used properly, the involvement of most of the large muscles in the upper body takes place. More than 50% of the muscles in the body are in the upper body. By involving more of them, it is possible to burn up to 70% more calories with every walk. Studies show that 25% to 50% is more realistic for the average person, but some data shows that, with concentrated effort, 70% is possible.
The great thing about pole walking is that all of it's additional benefits come without increasing the amount of time you walk. Here are just a few of those benefits:
This is a great way to improve your upper body strength and endurance without having to do separate strength training sessions. Keep in mind that with pole walking you will be pushing down on the poles with every stride you take. That translates to thousands of muscle movements in your upper body throughout your entire walk. And, you control how much additional work your body does.
You'll love the added results you'll receive when you turn walking into a total body exercise that gently engages every major muscle with every stride. Investigate pole walking, learn how to do it properly, get yourself a set of the special poles (from Tom's site or several others you can find on the Internet), and go out for a walk. Remember, if you're walking for exercise, it should be done a minimum of 3 -5 times per week. Ideally you should do it every day. Walking for exercise is a lot like dental hygiene; if you brush your teeth several times a week you may have healthy teeth, but if you brush your teeth every day, your chances for excellent dental health are much better.
This form of walking was pioneered in the U. S. back in 1985 by cross country skier, ski coach, and long distance runner, Tom Rutlin. Because of some injuries, Tom was unable to use running as an off season form of conditioning for his competitive cross country skiing. He conceived the idea of using cross country ski poles to help him walk more efficiently and build his training base while lessening the impact on the injuries to his lower extremities. In experimenting with this new form of walking, Tom discovered that by using the poles in a very specific way, you not only improved your balance and lessened the stress on your lower body, but you could dramatically increase the involvement of large core muscles in the trunk as well as the back, shoulders, arms and chest so as to maximize the exercise benefits.
Tom calls his form of Nordic walking "Exerstriding". The unique thing about Tom's system is that his poles don't use straps to hold your hands in place. The hand grips have a large, comfortable lip that helps keep your hands in place without the restriction of straps. You can find more information on Tom and his method of Nordic walking at his web site - Exerstrider. He sells his poles, replacement parts, and a video there. I have a set of his poles, and I find them quite comfortable to use.
Another site I like that sells poles and videos is KeenFit, a Canadian based company. Their poles have a strap system and come with several different pole tips. And, if you buy two or more pairs, they will ship them for free. If you go to the site using the banner ad below, you'll get an extra discount on the price of the poles. At this site keep in mind that the price of the poles is in Canadian dollars (CAD). The current conversion rate to US dollars brings the price of the poles down about 10 – 15% (as of February 2009).
The poles at both of these sites seem to be well made, and you can get either two piece adjustable ones, or one piece solid ones. I recommend the adjustable ones because they are more versatile and can be packed in some suitcases.
(c)2005 - 2009 Thomas D. Manfredi, MS
Teleclasses
I will be announcing upcoming teleclasses in this section in
the future.
If you have a topic that you would be interested in hearing about
in a teleclass, send an e-mail to teleclasses@fitness-after-50.com
Questions and Answers
Question – How much muscle strength do we lose as we age?
Answer - The bad news is that we lose about 10% of our muscle strength per decade starting in our 50's. The good news is that regular weight-bearing (strength) exercise can undo most of that loss in as little as two months.
To get more information on various fitness and health issues, please go to my site – www.fitness-after-50.com
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If you have a fitness or nutrition question you would like me to
consider answering here in the newsletter, just send your question, along with your first name and city, in an e-mail to quesandansw@fitness-after-50.com
Obviously, I can't answer every question submitted. I will choose
one question each month to answer here.
About Our Services
On line fitness coach Tom Manfredi is the creator of the site
"fitness-after-50". This site is designed with the mature
adult in mind. There is a lot of information available on the
site for anyone looking to start or restart a sensible exercise
program. Learn more by going to
www.fitness-after-50.com
Tom Manfredi, 1218 Easy St., Ste 101, Wickenburg, AZ 85390
Other Services and Information
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I don’t know about you, but with all the news coverage lately about identity theft and all the problems it can cause for people, my wife and I have become somewhat paranoid about shredding any mail we get with any kind of identifying info in it, and she freaks out any time I order something on the internet and give out info there.
Well, a woman I know here in Arizona recently sent me some info about a company that offers $1,ooo,ooo coverage to help take care of the problem if someone steals your identity. The company is called LifeLock. You can get to their site by clicking on the banner below if it's visble, or by copying the following code into your browser –
They charge a very reasonable monthly fee and offer a number of included services (they also give discounts for paying annually). Go take a look and see what you think. I signed up. I think my peace of mind is worth that kind of money.
Your feedback is always welcome and appreciated! Write me at tom@fitness-after-50.com.
"Fitness-After-50" respects your privacy and does not give out or sell our subscribers' names and/or e-mail addresses.
Copyright (c) 2005 - 2008 Thomas D. Manfredi, MS. All rights reserved.