Exercise from the top down Nordic walking has running on the ropes

BY CATHERINE CHATHAM

YOU CAN WALK the walk, but the talk these days is all about those poles. Nordic walking isn’t speed walking, nor does it refer to a new piece of equipment at the gym. Most sports that require poles are now labelled as “Nordic,” including Nordic walking, snowshoeing and inline skating.

WHO STARTED IT?

Nordic walking evolved from Nordic (cross-country) skiing when Scandinavian skiers began walking with poles to enhance their summer training. The benefits of maintaining upper body strength and increasing cardiovascular fitness outdoors were quickly recognized and equipment was developed to make this athletes’ training program available to everyone. The International Nordic Walking Association (INWA), founded in Finland in 2000, has a great web site at http://inwa.nordicwalking.com. Since its inception, Nordic walking has become the fastest growing fitness sport with 500,000 Finnish participants and an estimated 3.5 million walkers worldwide. Nordic walking is finally getting the attention of North Americans, with programs now available in the U.S. and Canada. Publications like Running Room Magazine and Chatelaine are espousing the benefits of Nordic walking, so it’s evident the sport is coming of age on this side of the border. Watch for Nordic walkers down by the Ottawa River, along the bike paths and up on the Gatineau trails by the end of this summer.

NORDIC WALKING BENEFITS

Nordic walking has many benefits that appeal to a wide variety of people and their exercise needs.

Using poles brings a new dimension to walking or running with its upper and lower body workout. It works the whole package, and is superior to walking or running without poles. By using more muscles, more calories are burned — the Cooper Institute claims using poles can increase calorie expenditure by as much as 46 percent over regular walking. Nordic walking can increase cardio output by up to 25 percent over regular walking, so it’s an excellent fitness program to increase cardio-vascular fitness.

There is a lower rate of perceived exertion (RPE) with Nordic walking compared with running or walking without poles. This is important for people new to exercisewho might be tempted to give up if they feel their exercise program is too exhausting. Just like reputable clinics for runners, Nordic walking programs recognize that many people (particularly those just starting out on an exercise program) often need

PHOTO BY CATHERINE CHATHAM support to reach their exercise goals.

Nordic walking is excellent for people who have joint injury in the hips, knees or ankles, as well as those recovering from joint surgery or replacement. According to orthopaedist J. Richard Steadman of Vail, Colorado, poles decrease the load placed on joints by about six tonnes over the course of a mile (1.6 km). Poles also add stability as they increase joint mobility, which may account for many seniors including Nordic walking in their early morning mall walks in winter. Nordic poles work just as well on carpet as they do on asphalt, grass and gravel.

Working hunched over a computer all day? Exercising those upper body muscles by swinging the arms relaxes the muscles that hold tension in the shoulders and neck. It can also be an effective part of a crosstraining program for marathon runners when long runs result in upper body tension and reduced shoulder mobility.

Nordic walking can be part of an athlete’s training program, where interval, hill training, bounding, and running techniques with poles can be used to increase the heart rate and build endurance.

NORDIC WALKING CLINICS

Like any sport, beneficial Nordic walking is based upon technique. Though not difficult to learn, it is worth taking a workshop or clinic with a certified instructor. After learning how to change attachments and adjust the straps, you will learn the Nordic walking technique by building one skill on top of another (e.g. first arm swing, then pole strike, followed by swing-through phase, wrist release, toeing off, and more).

Nordic walking is a practice in coordination where unloading and loading at the correct gait phase decreases impact on the spine. A wrong pole plant can jar the upper body joints and restrict proper arm swing, which builds tension in the shoulder and neck instead of releasing it. Proper release and reconnecting with the grip handle

is essential to maintain circulation to the fingers and flexibility of the wrists and elbow. An improper lean can decrease core muscle engagement. A certified instructor teachesproper techniques for getting the full benefits from a Nordic walking program.

You will also learn how to use heart rates to monitor your level of activity and plan a program to target your fitness goals. It’s important to understand proper warm-up and cool-down exercises to decrease the chance of injury, too.

An instructor can advise you on pole size and explain the different qualities of poles. With poles costing between $80 and $130 a pair, walkers will want to be sure they have the right set for their needs. Nordic walking poles are available for rent in Ottawa at Calm Connections, and Trailhead offers them for rent or sale.

Nordic walkers who engage in activities that put stress on wrists and elbows — such as computer work, painting, playing golf or racket sports — may want to spend the extra money to buy a pole with an ergonomically designed handle.

“PILATES ON THE GO”

There is a strong link between Pilates and Nordic walking. Pilates teaches postural awareness and realignment through core strengthening, and Nordic walking engages the core muscles of the body while focusing on upper and lower body alignment. The poles reduce the impact on the spine by lifting and propelling the body forward. Not surprisingly, Nordic walking is also known as “Pilates on the go.” Nordic Walking is fun, especially when done with a group. It can get you out of the office and into the sunshine and parks. A walk at lunch time, after work or on the weekend lifts the spirits as well as your stride. So grab a friend and try putting a new bounce in your step. Catherine Chatham is a certified Nordic Walking Instructor, Pilates Instructor and Registered Massage Therapist. She owns and operates Calm Connections Massage Therapy and Pilates Centre at 42 Holland Avenue, where she has recently introduced a Nordic Walking program. Catherine can be contacted at 792-3223 or info@calmconnections.com

Dehydrating food is simple and fast Dry it — you’ll like it!

BY MAX FINKELSTEIN

A CANOE TRIP RUNS ON ITS BELLY.

What did paddlers on long expeditions eat before the age of freezedrying and packaged food? In the days of the fur trade, the entire enterprise was fuelled by pemmican, dried peas and cracked corn. Pemmican is dried buffalo meat, pounded between two rocks and mixed with an equal amount of melted fat. Marrow and dried Saskatoon berries were often added “for superior quality,” according to fur trader and explorer Alexander Mackenzie.

Pemmican keeps for months and even years. It was eaten raw in chunks, or mixed with flour and water and cooked into a stew called “rubbaboo.” Just a pound and a half of pemmican — equivalent to eight to 10 pounds of fresh meat — would sustain a hard-working voyageur all day. Packing in lots of calories per pound is all about dehydration.

I’m a great fan of drying your own food. Commercial dried foods are expensive, the serving portions are small for hard-working paddlers, and sometimes they taste a bit strange. Drying your own food is simple and it’s the most efficient way to preserve food. It takes one-sixth of the space and it’s nutritionally superior to canned food. No preservatives or chemicals need to be added, and carefully dried foods will keep for years.

I use a commercial food drier (American Harvest — Harvest Maid) to prepare most of my trail food. The unit is simple to operate and I can dry a prodigious amount of food in a very short period of time. Up to 11 trays can be dried at one time. Or, you can build your own solar or electric food dehydrator (see Agriculture Canada Publication 1739/E), or use your imagination. Opportunities for drying can be found at any heat register. The key is to have good air flow and to dry foods at temperatures below 110º F.

Trekkers have the option to prepare dried food meals by cooking the meal in advance, spreading it out on the trays, and turning on the dehydrator. Or, simply buy commercially prepared spaghetti sauce, salsa, canned beans, frozen vegetables, and other foods at the grocery store, and spread them out on the drying racks.

When dried, spaghetti sauce and salsa resemble the sole of an old leather shoe. They rehydrate in hot water in a few minutes and bear a remarkable resemblance to the original. Don’t buy cheap spaghetti sauce — it tends to be more watery, so it takes longer to dry and there’s less “leather” at the end of the process. Sometimes “yuppie” spaghetti sauces have large pieces of vegetables, which dry more slowly than the liquid portion. If the sauce is lumpy, run it through a blender before drying for the best results. The same principle applies to drying salsa, which is a real treat that spices up any camping meal.

Dried canned beans are amazing. Standard beans in tomato sauce rehydrate exactly as they came out of the can. But don’t stop there. Take advantage of the great variety of canned beans available and try adding rice or another grain for a very nutritious and tasty meal.