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Fitness & Exercise for Senior Citizens
Growing Exercise of Nordic Walking Providing Senior
Citizens Health, Vitality
Hybrid exercise combines walking with cross country
skiing for physical, psychological benefits for aging population
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Bob Saunders, 68, uses
his Exerstrider poles for Nordic walking with a friend. |
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July 21, 2007 - At 5’9” and 285 pounds, Bob
Saunders battled high blood pressure, high cholesterol, joint pain, low
energy and a host of other obesity-related symptoms. “I was dragging
around, ready to call it quits,” says the 68-year-old Saunders, whose
doctor warned him that his life was at risk.
“I began walking, but found the weight didn’t come
off fast enough and the pressure on my back and knees was just too
painful.”
Saunders says he then discovered Exerstrider
walking poles and quickly noticed a difference. “I could burn more
calories and tone my entire body. It just made more sense to use the
poles,” adds Saunders.
Exerstrider claims their poles are the
original Nordic walking poles and the number one
selling fitness walking poles.
Today Saunders reports he is a “lean, healthy and
energetic 135 pounds.”
“My body came back and my whole world opened up. I
feel better now at this age than in my 30s and 40s.”
Saunders has joined a growing legion of senior
citizens taking up one of the fastest growing exercises in the U.S. due
to a growing reputation for its ability to build cardiovascular
endurance, muscular strength, increase bone density and control weight.
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“Exerstriding turns a walk into a cross-country
trek (minus the snow). Using walking poles – you hold one in each hand –
requires greater effort and incorporates more upper body muscles than
brisk walking, says Cedric Bryant, PhD, chief science officer at the
American Council on Exercise. A study at the University of Wisconsin–La
Crosse showed that this Nordic-style walking burned up to 25 percent
more calories than fast-paced walking. Another benefit: decreased stress
on your knees.” - O, The Oprah Magazine |
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The Nordic Walking Association estimates there were
over five million participants at the end of 2005.
While many traditional exercise prescriptions have
very limited appeal to aging populations, large numbers of seniors and
baby boomers are getting hooked on the total body benefits of this
simple exercise. Especially appealing may be the reduced impact and
relief of pressure on the body’s joints, compared to traditional walking
and many other forms of exercise.
“Marty”, a 70-something lady from the Chicago area
is another senior featured on the Exerstider Web site. She had been
walking and was enjoying it, but she said she wanted to try Exerstriding
to see if it would speed her along in her effort to lose weight.
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When it Comes to Walking, It’s All Good
but Higher Intensity Pays Off |
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Mayo Clinic researcher says
high-intensity interval walking may protect against high blood pressure
and decreased muscle strength among older people
These days, it's easy for people to get
confused about exercise -- how many minutes a day should they spend
working out, for how long and at what exertion level? Conflicting facts
and opinions abound, but one Mayo Clinic physician says the bottom line
is this: walking is good, whether the outcome measurement is blood
pressure, diabetes, cardiovascular disease, joint problems or mental
health.
"Getting out there and taking a walk is
what it's all about," says James Levine, M.D., Ph.D., and a Mayo Clinic
expert on obesity. "You don't have to join a gym, you don't have to
check your pulse. You just have to switch off the TV, get off the sofa
and go for a walk."
The health benefit associated with
walking is the subject of Dr. Levine's editorial in the July issue of
Mayo Clinic Proceedings. Dr. Levine's piece is entitled, "Exercise: A
Walk in the Park?" and accompanies a Proceedings article that showcases
the merits of walking as beneficial exercise.
The study, undertaken by physicians from
the Shinshu University Graduate School of Medicine in Matsumoto, Japan,
determined that high-intensity interval walking may protect against high
blood pressure and decreased muscle strength among older people.
Over five months, the Japanese
researchers studied 246 adults who engaged in either no walking or
moderate to high-intensity walking. The group who engaged in
high-intensity walking experienced the most significant improvement in
their health, the researchers found.
In his editorial, Dr. Levine says the
study lends credence to the notion that walking is a legitimate, worthy
mode of exercise for all people. Dr. Levine says it's a welcome message
for his patients, who fight obesity and appreciate that a walk is one
way to improve their health.
Unlike a health club membership or
personal trainer, walking "is there for everyone," Dr. Levine says.
"Walking doesn't cost you anything, you can do it barefoot and you can
do it now, this minute."
"Sitting is bad for cholesterol, it's
bad for your back and muscles," Dr. Levine says. "It's such a terrible
thing for our bodies to do and the less of it you do, the better. But
activity is not easy. If it were easy, everyone would do it."
Authors for the study in Mayo Clinic
Proceedings on high-intensity walking were Ken-Ichi Nemoto; Hirokazu
Gen-No, Ph.D.; Shizue Masuki, Ph.D.; Kazunobu Okazaki, Ph.D.; and
Hiroshi Nose, M.D., Ph.D., all from the Shinshu University Graduate
School of Medicine. Articles are available online at
www.mayoclinicproceedings.com.
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Marty was a size 14, but since she began
Exerstriding the pounds (35 pounds in the first 16 weeks) and inches
have come off faster and now she’s a size 8! She says the second best
thing about Exerstriding is that it gives so many men a good excuse to
talk with her when she walks at the nearby mall.
Using specially-designed poles to propel you,
Nordic walking is a fusion exercise that combines the ease of walking
with total body fitness benefits of cross-country (or “Nordic”) skiing.
Poles start at about $89.
This all-in-one workout allows people to burn
nearly 50% more calories per hour than traditional walking, according to
a 2001 study conducted by The Cooper Institute in Dallas. At the same
time, users are conditioning the muscles of their upper and lower body,
including the core muscles.
Fitness industry veteran Peggy Buchanan, M.A.,
spokesperson on older adult fitness for IDEA Health & Fitness
organization, and Director of Fitness & Aquatics at Vista del Monte
Retirement Community in Santa Barbara, Calif., is most excited about the
balance and psychological improvements walking poles continue to bring
her more frail senior clients.
In 2005, Buchanan facilitated a walking pole
research project in concert with Westmont College under the direction of
Gregg Afman, Ph.D., where seniors traded in their walking canes and
walkers for walking poles.
“What we’ve found is most people consider canes and
walkers to be a sign of age-ism, whereas walking poles are associated
with athleticism,” says Buchanan. For eight weeks, 13 seniors at Vista
Del Monte averaging 86 years of age traded in their assistive walking
devices for Exerstrider walking poles.
“Those who traded in their canes and walkers
immediately began walking with more upright posture and the typical
‘walker shuffle’ improved to more of a normal gait pattern – and the
psychological benefits may have been as important as the physical
benefits. Participants walked with greater confidence and a smile of
satisfaction on their faces,” according to Buchanan.
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Tom
Rutlin pioneered the whole thing. |
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Father of U.S. Nordic Walking and founder of
Exerstrider walking pole products, Tom Rutlin adds, “There’s been
tremendous growth in walking pole sales among the senior demographic. We
continue to receive countless letters and calls from seniors even in
their 90’s who’ve improved their strength, become less dependent upon
others and feel like they’ve been given a new lease on life.”
Dr. Andrew Weil, world-renowned wellness expert and
author of Healthy Aging, calls Rutlin a national fitness authority who
has “made it his personal mission to make walking the most efficient
workout possible.” Rutlin regularly presents the benefits of Nordic
walking to people of all ages and fitness levels nationwide.
Getting started is easy. Visit
www.exerstrider.com. Every pair of Exerstrider poles comes with a
manual and instructional DVD.
International Nordic Walking Association
About Nordic Walking – Wikipedia
Nordic walking/ski walking combines the
positive training effects of walking combined with the total-body
exercise advantages of cross-country skiing. The result is a total body
workout that burns up to forty percent more calories without a change in
perceived exertion or having to walk faster, due to the incorporation of
many large core, and other upper body muscles which work against
resistance with each stride. By transferring some of one's weight on the
poles, one lessens the pressure on the back and lower joints thus
benefitting those who may suffer from a damaged
knee,
hip or
back when used in correct length and proper form. One-piece poles
are more durable and much more dependable than twist-locking poles.
Benefits:
Compared to regular walking, Nordic
walking involves applying force to the poles with each stride. Nordic
ski walkers can use more of their body (with greater intensity) and
receive stimulation not as present in normal walking for the chest, lats,
triceps, biceps, shoulder, abdominals and other core muscles. This extra
muscle involvement leads to significant enhancements over ordinary
walking or jogging at equal paces such as:
● increased overall strength and
endurance in the arms
● greater ease in climbing hills
● burning more calories than in plain walking or running
● improved balance and stability when using poles
● less stress on the shins, knees, hips and back which can be
beneficial for those with injuries or muscles not strong enough to bear
the person's (modified or unmodified) weight in normal walking for
desired speeds, periods and terrains.
>>
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