A Whole Body Workout
Improves Cardiovascular Health
Aura City Nordic Walking
Experience the Benefits of Nordic Walking
Aura City Nordic Walking will provide you with expert guidance to improve your fitness levels. Great for walkers, runners, and those with certain medical conditions. Our INWA qualified instructor Chris Rees will teach you the proper techniques to maximize the health benefits of this
growing exercise.
Hello
Welcome to Aura City Nordic Walking
Thank you for visiting Aura City Nordic Walking. Nordic walking is a whole-body workout that uses up to 90% of the body's muscles. It is good fun, mood enhancing, invigorating, and suitable for all fitness levels. Learn the technique and you will see why thousands of people have become committed Nordic Walkers
The Science behind Nordic Walking
INTRODUCTION
As a body conditioning exercise, Nordic Walking surpasses many other activities in that it works all the major body muscles and reduces the load on your joints. Using poles to engage your upper limb muscles will increase your overall muscle strength and cardiovascular fitness.
As the poles propel you forward, the forces from each stride will be more evenly distributed, reducing stress on your lower body, especially your feet, hips and knees.
Your core strength will improve and your upper body mobility, and balance will also be see major benefits.
COMPARING NORDIC WALKING WITH ORDINARY WALKING
From a walking perspective, Nordic Walking takes the exercise to a new level. Walking on its own will provide a level of fitness but, in most cases, will only have a marginal effect on your heart rate. Some people with existing medical conditions may be limited to light walking but Nordic Walking can, and very often, be introduced for the additional health benefits.
Nordic Walking is a more strenuous exercise that gets the blood pumping around your body. Once you have mastered the technique, you will be able to increase the propelling force you apply to the poles, leading to faster walking.
COMPARING NORDIC WALKING WITH RUNNING
Having competed for many years on athletic tracks, road, and cross-country running races, injuries were a common topic of discussion among runners. I often wondered why some of my fellow runners bothered to run at all; they were injured so frequently.
A recent study in Sweden revealed that in any one year up to 50% of recreational runners experienced some form of running-related injury that prevented them from running for extended periods, often up to many months.
Nordic Walking will not replace the high-intensity of running, but it can provide a remarkable workout. Given that the world record for a 5k Nordic Walk is a shade over 21 minutes, many club runners would be happy to achieve this when running.
Improving Cardiovascular Health
CARDIO ZONES
Much research has been carried out on the effect of exercise within the cardio zones on the body, and many research papers have been published. So how do these zones fit into Nordic Walking?
Firstly it is important to understand heart rates and how they fit in.
As a general guide, your maximum practical heart rate can be determined by the formula 220 - your age.
So a 60-year-old would be 220 - 60 = 160.
This is only a guide, and we are all different, but will serve as a good indication of the Zone you are in when exercising.
Zone 1 is light activity and would cover walking. In this zone, you should be working at 50% - 60% of your maximum heart rate.
Zone 2 moves you up to moderate intensity, where you could be up to 70% of your maximum heart rate. This zone is known to build endurance, burn fat, and be sustainable over longer distances. You should be able to converse at this pace, albeit taking additional breaths.
Zone 3 is now moderate to high intensity up to 80% of your maximum. At this pace, holding a conversation will be much harder.
Zones 4 and 5 are high intensity and maximum effort of 90% and 100%, accordingly.
I regularly ran in Zone 3 and 4, and occasionally 5, for interval training supplementing these with Zones 2 and even 1.
Zone 3 is also achievable with Nordic Walking with a good fitness base and an efficient technique.
If I am out for a good Nordic Walking workout, I am generally around 60%—75% (zone 2) of my maximum heart rate at a pace of 6.3 - 7.0 km/hr.
Summary
Training in Zone 2 is the ideal zone for maintaining cardiovascular health. This zone provides a low to moderate intensity and enables you to exercise longer and build endurance. Exercising in Zone 2 uses mostly fat as a fuel source, contributing greatly to maintaining a healthy body weight and improving metabolic health. In turn, your heart and lungs will be working more efficiently.
Remember, Nordic Walking can be adapted to suit your individual fitness levels. Don't be put off if you feel you are unfit. Lessons are always progressive, as the initial focus is on getting the technique right. Runners who have found running difficult because of nagging injuries are also good candidates for Nordic Walking