Walking With Poles - Why Bother?

You know that walking is good exercise. It's simple, convenient, and easy on your joints. All you needed to start your walking routine was a good pair of walking shoes. But now you're hearing about walking with poles, and you may wonder why you'd need to buy another piece of equipment just to walk. After all, you've been walking nearly all your life. Why should you bother with poles on your walks?

First of all, consider why you have a regular walking routine. Is is just to get some fresh air every day or to socialize with your friends? Do you just like to get out and see what's new around town? Maybe you like that walking helps keep you limber. If this sounds like you, forget about walking with poles. You don't really need them.

Now, if you've been walking to lose weight, listen up. Walking is a gentle, effective way to lose weight, but how fast have those pounds been disappearing? How many chunky people have you been seeing on your walks -- the same people for months -- who look pretty much the same as they did when you first saw them? Do you look any different?

The fact is walking can help you lose weight, but sometimes it can be an excruciatingly slow process. If you're only working your legs, you're only burning a portion of the calories you could be. Get your arms in on the action, and you'll increase the calorie burn to lose weight faster.

One secret of losing weight and keeping it off is to build more muscle. The more muscle tissue you have, the more calories you'll burn all day long. Giving your arms a good swing while you're walking does help raise your heart rate to burn more calories, but that burn fizzles shortly after you've finished your walk. Walking with poles burns extra calories while you're walking, and it builds muscle, too, so you'll lose weight easier and quicker.

There are several styles of pole walking, and each gets your arms involved in the workout. The style that can give you the greatest fitness benefit in the same amount of time is Nordic walking. Nordic walking with poles doesn't just help you remember to swing your arms, it actively integrates your arms into the walk. As you plant the pole, you push down and back, engaging muscles all through your arms and upper body. Nordic walking also utilizes a greater range of motion in the shoulders and encourages a longer swinging stride that tones your body throughout the torso and hips.

So if you're ready to step up the weight loss and fitness gain -- and especially if you can't spare any more time from your day to accomplish it -- start walking with poles. It can be the best investment you'll ever make for your health.