UPUA students will carry out, next Friday the 15^th of May of 2015, a Session in the frame of the initiative “The Peripatetic”, a Session of Initiation to “Nordic walking”. The session, organized by the Sports and Culture Councillorship of L’Alfàs del Pí Town Hall, will be carried out in collaboration with the Nordic Walking Association of the Valencian Community.

Nordic walking is a sport based on stamina and is a sort of exercise practiced outdoors that consists in walking with the assistance of canes similar to ski poles.

The International Nordic Walking Federation-INWA, promotes a methodology of 10 steps for the effective practice of this sport. This technique is based on the following principles: walking naturally and correctly, correct posture of the body, central stability, active use of the muscles of the back and the abdomen, appropriate use of the specific technique of the canes – similar technique to the one used in cross-country skiing.

Benefits of Nordic Walking

The benefits that the controlled and appropriate practice of Nordic Walking, compared to classical walking without canes, mainly are:

• For obtaining the highest performance from Nordic Walking, the practitioner must know how to apply the technique correctly. It is important to highlight that the learning is really fast and, at the same time, the sensation of exhaustion that its practice creates is very low.
• It exercises almost 90% of the body muscles in a single movement, as it makes use of the lower motor system as well as the higher, strengthening the arms, the back and the neck, exercising the abdominal and the pectoral muscles.
• The pressure on articulations is diminished. The pressure on ankles, knees, and hips is substantially reduced. The movement is rhythmic and regular so there are no impacts or abrupt contact against the ground. The pressure on the knees is reduced by 26% when descending.
• In relation to classical walking (without canes), cardiovascular capacity and oxygenation are improved.
• The rhythm of the heart is 10-15 beats per minute higher. Cardiovascular activity equals to an average increase of 13%, existing the possibility of reaching 40%.
• Oxygen consumption is 4.5-5.5 ml/kg/min higher thus the consumption increases from 20% until 60%.
• Caloric consumption is 20-25% (1.5/2.0 kcal/min) higher, increasing to 20%-40%, placing above 410 calories/ hour.
• Energy consumption reaches numbers between 20% and 46% without creating a feeling of exhaustion.
• It contributes to osteoporosis prevention as the vibrations produced by the cane for Nordic Walking when touching the ground generates a very healthy vibration for the strengthening of the bones without damaging the articulations.
• The sensation of satisfaction and well-being its practice produces is hard to explain. You must give it a try.