By KATE MACLENNAN

Friday, August 19, 2005 Page R6

Special to The Globe and Mail

Whether it's up the Grouse Grind or from bed to bathroom, almost everyone puts one foot before the other each day. But throw in the word "Nordic" and walking becomes a power sport.  If this sounds extreme, don't get caught up in semantics: You'll have enough to untangle when you attempt to strap on the poles.

Nordic walking is essentially cross-country skiing without skis. Finland inaugurated the sport in 1997 to train Olympic-level, cross-country skiers off-season, but the aerobically inclined Finns have been walking with poles for about 70 years.

One image that springs to mind is of tuqued Scandinavian geezers brandishing poles up Mount Halti and yodelling back across the Baltic Sea at their German neighbours, but it couldn't be more inaccurate.

Today, more than five million fitness-conscious Europeans practise Nordic walking for the incredible workout. Compared with normal walking, it pumps up the average heart rate by 13 per cent and burns about 120 more calories per hour. Here's the cherry: You can do both without perceiving any extra exertion.

You won't even notice the good things you're doing for yourself, according to James Retty, who teaches Nordic walking through Whistler's Escape Route adventure-equipment store. "The [Americans] are hitting [Nordic walking] hard as a way to battle their obesity epidemic," he says.

"A 20-minute stroll is something anyone can do that engages your lower body, but add poles and you're also using your core muscles, your lats, your chest and your triceps. About the only thing different than a normal walk is you can't hold a cup of coffee."

If you own walking shoes, the only things you'll need to walk Nordic style are poles ($40 to $140 per pair), available at local sporting-good stores. Exel, a company recognized by the International Nordic Walking Association, makes durable, ergonomic, lightweight models.

Strapping yourself into the poles is a bit like figuring out a new remote control: It should be easy, but you inevitably look like a fool the first time. A knowledgeable sales person can size them -- you should be able to hold the handle with your arms resting 90 degrees by your side -- and demonstrate how to fasten them so you aren't gripping the handles too hard.

Now stretch (this is a workout, don't forget) and then walk by placing each pole slightly behind you as you push off in long strides. You may not feel it in the glutes today, but be ready to wake up sore tomorrow.

The benefits of Nordic walking tally up quickly. It's an economical and easily transportable workout, not to mention extremely low-impact, making it a perfect rehabilitation activity. It's environmentally friendly and also social; you should be able to hold a conversation while doing it.

Nordic walking can be done almost anywhere, at any hour, by anybody who can walk. And most impressively, it does what so many bogus pills and elixirs promise, melting pounds and adding muscle, giving you a lean, toned body that will have others think you've spent years strapped into a Pilates Legacy Reformer.

It's never a race to the finish line when you're a Nordic walker, but that doesn't mean we haven't found a winner.

Published in The Globe and Mail, August 19, 2005

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