How to walk Nordic walking

Today's active lifestyle is not just a way to keep your body in shape and improve your health. This is the modern trend of a healthy lifestyle. Fortunately, today it is not fashionable to smoke or drink alcohol. Today it is popular to engage in various sports. Among the newfangled trends can be distinguished yoga, Pilates, body flex. Recently, Scandinavian walking is gaining popularity. She looks like a walk with ski poles. This sport has many advantages, moreover, it has almost no contraindications. In this article we will talk about the benefits of Scandinavian walking, the correct technique of sports load and some nuances of this sport.

The benefits of Nordic walking for the body

Walking with sticks was popular since ancient times - so our ancestors more easily tolerated long-distance hikes. At the end of the twentieth century, skiers began to walk with sticks to keep fit in the summer when there was no snow. Nordic walking as a separate sport began to emerge in the early nineties. In Russia, this activity has gained its popularity in the last decade.

The benefits of Nordic walking are indisputable. The process involves more than 90% of the body's muscles, and with a simple walk, no more than 70%. When you just walk, only the spine and legs are strained, and the arms and shoulder joint are stationary. Scandinavian walking allows you to use the body almost completely. We can say that this is a great alternative to running, especially for those who have a lot of weight or knees hurt - patients with a similar diagnosis cannot run. Sticks ease the load on the spine and knees, evenly distributing the body weight. In some Western countries, Scandinavian walking is considered one of the main rehabilitation courses that a patient must undergo after a disease and treatment of the musculoskeletal system. How does Nordic walking affect our bodies?

1. Despite the moderate load on the spine, Nordic walking perfectly trains the heart and blood vessels, develops endurance and strength.
2. After the start of movement, blood circulation in the tissues is markedly accelerated, the body is saturated with oxygen.
3. With regular workouts, the rate of metabolic processes increases, the metabolism restarts, as it were. This contributes to active weight loss.
4. With sufficient speed, a person sweats hard, and then a huge amount of toxins and slags from the body is removed.
5. With proper walking technique, many processes in the body improve, above all, the elimination of bile and digestion.
6. Due to active blood circulation, cholesterol levels are reduced.
7. Another undoubted advantage is the strengthening of the muscular corset. With regular exercises, a person becomes stronger and more prominent, his figure is tightened, and his muscles come to tone.
8. Athletes who have been involved in Nordic walking for years, note that their coordination and sense of balance have improved markedly. When walking, the vestibular apparatus is trained.
9. Walking with sticks gives a soft and moderate load on the entire spine, joints and cartilage.Older people say Scandinavian walking helped them get rid of the characteristic pain in the knees.
10. Any physical activity contributes to the development of endorphins in the body. Especially if the sport is so comfortable, enjoyable and interesting. After the “Scandinavian walk” your mood will improve, you will receive a charge of vivacity and positive for the whole day.

Adherents of Scandinavian walking admit that they fell in love with this sport almost immediately, after the first training session. But who is shown Scandinavian walking?

Who is useful to do Scandinavian walking

Nordic walking is the best medicine against diseases of the musculoskeletal system. With regular walking, you can get rid of osteochondrosis, osteoporosis, scoliosis. Walking improves blood circulation in the tissues after surgery - this is a great way of rehabilitation. In addition, this load will help get rid of depression, stress, insomnia. Nordic walking improves posture, trains the muscles of the back, hips, calves and buttocks. This is a gentle and affordable way to tidy up the shape and health. But how to start to study independently? First of all, you need to buy a stick!

How to choose Nordic walking sticks

In some cases, beginners try to replace Scandinavian sticks with ordinary, ski ones. However, this is not entirely correct. Ski sticks, as a rule, are slightly higher than the length of Scandinavian sticks. Each pair of sticks should be selected separately, depending on the height of a person and the level of his physical fitness. To calculate the optimal size of the height of the sticks, you need to multiply the growth by a standard coefficient of 0.7.If your height is 170 cm, you need to multiply this number by 0.7 and get 119. It means that a Nordic walking stick one meter long and 19-20 centimeters will suit you.

The level of fitness also plays an important role. The longer the sticks, the harder it is to walk with them, since in this case the arms and shoulders are fully engaged. For beginners, it is better to use shorter sticks, but trained athletes choose the equipment longer than the size. That is why it is better to choose a stick with adjustable length. This will help to change the level of load as physical development. It is convenient to use such adjustable Nordic walking sticks for children - you can change the length as your child grows.

On the sticks there are small loops that fix the hand in the desired position. They eliminate the wrong grab inventory. You need to thread the brush into the stick and adjust the fastener to fit your wrist size. In addition to sticks, you should have comfortable clothes and comfortable shoes. It is best to engage in clothes that will not hamper your movements. Perfect fit sports or ski suit. Choose high-quality shoes - sneakers hold the leg and give a gooddepreciation.

How to walk Nordic walking

Starting classes is better with an experienced coach, especially if you are doing it for the first time. If you get used to walking incorrectly, it will be much more difficult to relearn the technique. Therefore, it is better to see from the very beginning how professionals do it. It is important that the coach corrects your mistakes if necessary. After all, the level of load on the necessary muscles depends on competent technology. So, here are a few rules that should be followed when Nordic walking.

1. Before walking, be sure to warm up - waving your arms and legs, bending, turning the body.
2. In walking, it is very important to pay attention to the setting of the foot. Stop should be put first on the heel, and then roll it to the tip of the thumb. The foot must adhere well to the soil surface.
3. It is necessary to walk like this - forward go the left leg and the right hand with a stick, respectively.
4. You can not walk on straight legs, knees should be slightly bent.
5. The stick should be placed against the heel of the front foot. When transferring the weight of the body, try to lean a little on the stick,to reduce the load on the legs and spine.
6. If you have learned a little bit of the right technique and method of putting your feet, do not look at your feet. The back should be straight, the spine should be pulled upwards. Imagine that from the tailbone to the top of the head you have a thread stretched, which needs to be maintained in a direct state. Try to reach the top of your head up.
7. It is very important to pay attention to breathing. When wellness walking you need to breathe air through your nose, and exhale it with your mouth. When exhaling, it is better to pull the lips slightly forward, this will make the exhalation a little longer. When exhaling, try to strain your stomach and press it to the spine.
8. The width of the step should be arbitrary, it is not necessary to specifically increase this distance or raise the leg unnaturally top. You have to walk like you do in ordinary life.
9. While moving, try to keep your arms slightly bent - about 45 degrees. That hand that remains behind unbends completely when carrying the stick.
10. Tumble on sticks too much is not worth it, it can lead to improper walking techniques, which will not bring the expected benefits.
11. Nordic walking is so democratic a sport that you can do it at any time of the day. If you decide to walk in the morning, wake up early so your heart starts to work hard. You can not start walking immediately after waking up, it must take at least half an hour for the circulatory system to start working gradually.
12. After a workout, it is better not to eat for another hour and a half. During this period, the muscles continue to tighten and burn subcutaneous and visceral fat. You can drink, give preference to clean warm water. In no case do not drink cold water while training - in combination with heated oral mucosa, this can lead to a sore throat.

Nordic walking is good at any time of the day. In the morning she will help you get a cheerfulness charge for the whole working day. In the evening, a useful physical workout will distract you from thinking about work and give you a slight relaxation before bed.

To get the most benefit from Scandinavian walking, you need to practice regularly, ideally - every day. This will allow you to improve your health in the shortest possible time. Do not look at the weather, you can do under any conditions.It is best to walk away from highways and factories. If there is a forest nearby, a grove, a park, a reservoir, go there, because the air in such zones is much cleaner. It is much more fun to go for company with someone, try to find a like-minded person. Then shirk from walks will not work. Start walking small, increase your workout time gradually. End the walk with stretching exercises and deep breathing. These simple rules will help you regain lost health and protect your body from many diseases.

Video: Nordic walking technique in 5 minutes