Nordic walkers get into swing of things

 

By Cheryl Rossi-Staff writer

	Micheline Gauthier took up Nordic walking after two knee operations ended her running career. Photo-Dan Toulgoet
After two knee operations Micheline Gauthier decided her running days were over. Not one to be a couch potato, Gauthier, 48, is maintaining her stride with a sport that's new to Vancouver-Nordic walking. "It's like cross-country skiing without the skis," Gauthier said. Gauthier stepped out with a women's Nordic walking social group, organized by Vancouver fitness club Beyond Fitness, two months ago and hasn't looked back. She likes "the overall feeling of having worked my entire body and the cardio workout as well," she said. Nordic walkers match their strides with opposite arms and push cushioned poles against the ground to propel them along. Gauthier, who teaches body rolling at the Coal Harbour-based Beyond Fitness, has noticed more definition in her arm muscles and increased suppleness between her pelvis and rib cage since starting. She says Nordic walking also elongates the body and improves posture. The cushioned poles absorb vibrations, putting less stress on hips, knees, ankles and other joints, said Mandy Shintani, co-owner of Urban Poling Inc., a North Vancouver company selling poles, certifying trainers and promoting the sport. According to Shintani, an occupational therapist with a master's degree in gerontology, Nordic walkers typically burn 20 to 46 per cent more calories than regular walkers while engaging 90 per cent of their muscles. "I'm a sloucher. The poles force you to have a really nice posture while you're walking." Shintani and other therapists and trainers spent a year trying different poles. Practising in public, they received strange looks. Passersby would yell, "There's no snow here!" or "Did you forget your skis?" But as their numbers increase, the comments decrease. Shintani and Graham Watts distribute an American pole that doesn't have wrist straps as other models do. "If you fall, you're unstable, the last thing you really want to do is to be strapped into a poling system where you can't grab on to something," Shintani said. Nordic walking started in Finland in the early 20th century as a summer training exercise for cross-country skiers. In 1997, the poles were redesigned and the technique tweaked. Now, Shintani said, the sport has become the number one fitness trend in Europe. So far, its appeal with youth is limited, but it's well-suited to boomers and seniors, Shintani said. Seniors' classes have run at the Dunbar and Kerrisdale community centres, and the sport is gaining momentum in the retirement enclave of White Rock. Shintani said her neighbour's mother was struggling with stairs before she started Nordic walking. Now she Nordic walks from her home near Grouse Mountain into downtown Vancouver and back and has become an instructor. All enthusiasts need is a sturdy pair of walking or running shoes and a pair of poles, which cost about $100. There's no need to get to a gym, change or shower. Newbies typically become proficient in a couple of weeks or months. "It is something you can do fairly conveniently," Shintani said. "I just keep my poles near the front door."

Originally Publised in the Vancouver  Courier 10/16/2005